Sad Lament
by southern cross
Summary: Letty makes a move that changes everything...DomLetty eventually. Rated R for anything bad i throw in and then forget.
1. Perfidia

My first F&tF fic. Please be nice. I own nothing and mean no harm. Reviews are greatly appreciated. This fic will be Letty/Dom, but mainly Letty for now. I am fascinated by her strength. He has much to make up for.

Present Day

"Boots get over here."

Running daily had become required. Racing her shadow along the shoreline was her favorite time of day. Boots kept pace with her, yapping at every wave, and encouraging her to push with every wag of his tail.

Watching as he barked at a cocky crab she smiled. Glancing down at her watch she saw that she had some time before she was due at the diner. Relaxing back on her arms, her eyes drifted out over the horizon. Clenched muscles slowly eased and her mind began to drift.

18 Months prior

"What the hell are you doing?"

Pausing she didn't turn right away. She had hoped to get this over with quickly and quietly.

"Letty, what's with the bags?"

Turning she looked at her friend, sister and gave her a sad smile.

"I'm leaving Mia."

There, that wasn't so hard. Looking up she saw the confusion on Mia's face. Tossing an old tee into the trash bag, which was pathetically empty, she sat next to it on the bed.

"I'm confused."

Coming into the room Mia sat next to her, the bag and so much more separating them.

"6 months Mia. It's been 6 months and I can't do it anymore."

Mia turned and reached for her hand. It looked so foreign in her smooth, callous free palm.

"We have all been hurt Let, but it's getting better."

Smiling she turned her hand over and ran her thumbs over the knuckles.

"It is for all of you. Vince is healing. Leon is doing great with Rue. And look at you, back at school. Making us all proud."

Mia laughed.

"Sugar coated, but fairly accurate. But what about Dom?"

And there it was, the million dollar question. Rising, she walked over to the dresser she had shared with him and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Dom's great. Back to his oldself. Racing, partying, and taking care of you."

Mia could hear the sadness in her voice for sure, but it didn't embarrass her. It just didn't matter anymore if she was strong.

"What about you Letty. Dom takes care of you and the team. All of us."

Turning she fought the anger that was rising in her throat.

"Does he Mia? Throwing money at us and bringing home Corona does that count?"

Mia's jaw dropped. It would have been funny, except that it wasn't.

"But..."

Letty raised her hand.

"He started cheating on me again."

Mia couldn't hide the blush she could feel rising in her cheeks. She had had her suspicions.

"Staying out, flaunting them in my face at the races. But the other night was different Mia. I heard him. You know working his magic."

She was pacing now.

"Some new girl, didn't know the ropes. She saw a good looking guy and said what the hell."

"How...?"

Looking down she stuck her hands in her back pockets.

"How do I know? I had talked to her earlier. She was excited, all the cars, and then there was Dom and she was entranced. So I hear them talking. And she asked him Mia. Point blank asked him if he had someone. See the girls on the circuit, they know the deal. They may have him by the short hairs for an hour, but he comes home to me."

Snickering at the face Mia pulled she continued.

"But this time, this time was different. I could feel it, Mia I swear to God. She asked and he answered."

Heading to the closet she grabbed a few pieces, only ones she had bought. Others were carefully pulled from their hooks and dropped on the bed. She heard, but couldn't bear to see the tears Mia were shedding for her. There had been so many tears already.

"I didn't come home that night. Just drove around till sunrise. Had my phone on and next to me the whole time. Not one call Mia, not one fucking call. See when he told her he didn't have anyone. He meant it, truly and honestly. It's like I didn't exist."

Fingering a rare picture of the two of them she forced herself on.

"Never even noticed when he stumbled home and into our bed, this bed that I wasn't in it. 6 months Mia and I'm done. It just hurts too much."

Gathering her thoughts, attempting to absorb all that had been said she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"But he loves you Let."

Pissed off now she threw the picture across the wall. As the sound echoed in the room took a deep breath and walked over Mia.

"Loves me? I don't think so. Needs me, Fucks me, works with me, but loves me, no way. What do any of us know about love anyway. Jesse loved us and we let him fall away. You loved Brian and he betrayed us."

On a roll now she didn't care if it hurt Mia or not she was just tired of pretending everything was o.k. because of love.

"You have the love of a good man in Vince and you throw it away every time you talk about Brian. I have loved Dom most of my life. I broke myself for him and he throws my love away every time he hooks or looks at someone else."

Silent they looked at each other, both hurting.

"What do we know about love?"

Mia couldn't believe it. How could she have not seen the pain Letty had been in.

"I know I love you. And I know you can't leave."

Rising she grabbed Letty in a hug and held on tight.

"I have to Mia, it's killing me here. And be honest would anyone even notice?"

Mia laughed.

"Of course they would."

Pulling apart Letty reached in her pocket and pulled out her cell.

"It's Friday night. Races, parties and I'm here. Not one call Mia. Why were you here?"

Embarrassed Mia fumbled for an answer.

"I forgot my i.d., they wanted to hit some clubs."

Smiling she slipped her phone back into her pocket and continued folding her special stack of items on the bed.

"Where would you go? What would you do?"

She shrugged.

"Somewhere near the water. Get a job, I got plenty of money saved up."

Mia sensed the situation was slipping away from her. Her voice was choked with tears when she asked,

"Would you come back?"

Letty paused. Would she come back?

"Yes, I will come back sometime. I need to try and make a life for myself. I deserve that. I deserve better than this."

Pointing to the small pile of old tees and ragged stuffed animals. Confused Mia started to asked what it was, but got cut off.

"This is all the stuff he has bought me. Pretty pathetic huh? I know he's not that kind of guy, but still..."

Bending down she pulled a white box out from under the bed. It was almost time. Maybe having Mia here would make things easier after all.

"Letty wait. Dom's been an asshole I get that. But you don't have to go. This is your home too and they will notice you're gone. I bet."

Mia knew how to push her buttons. Letty had never backed down from a dare or welched on a bet. Piling each item in the box carefully she considered Mia's words.

"I'm leaving now Mia, I'll have my phone. If he asks about me, not needs me, but asks. You call and I'll come back."

Looking at her she knew she was contemplating the odds.

"I'll know if you're lying Mia."

Extending her hands she shook Mia's.

"He'll ask Let, I know it."

Letty smiled and wished she still had the faith in Dom that his sister still had. But she was afraid her illusion was about to get distorted.

"If there is no call from you by 2pm Sunday..."

"There will be."

Digging into her left pocket she wrapped her hand around the cool metal and pulled it out. Fighting back the emotion, she picked up the box and turned.

"If not then I need you to give this to him."

She handed over the box and Mia held it like it would shatter. Taking a deep breath she ran her fingers over them one last time before she handed it over.

"And this."

Mia looked up and saw...

"Oh, God! No Let you can't."

Dropping the keys into her hand she fought the tears, even as Mia spilled them. The keys held her link to this world. The house, store, garage, and her car. Closing her eyes she could feel the rush and power from the first time she took it out.

That car held her weight in blood and sweat, she knew every curve. Together they had built that car. Raced in it, made love in it and she had to leave it.

"It's behind the garage in the old shed. Please don't let him hurt it. Please Mia..."

At that Mia dropped the box and wrapped her arms around her neck, sobbing now. Letty let a few tears fall and knew she had to go.

"Mia please, I have to go. I love you girl. Look at me."

Cupping her cheeks she kissed them and smiled at her.

"It'll be o.k. I'll be back."

And she knew she would.

"Listen see what you have in front of you. It may be everything you are looking for, and if it is then don't ever let it go."

Giving her a final hug she let go and grabbed her one bag of belongings and headed towards the door. Picking up the broken picture she took the time to put it back on the night stand. Maybe he would see. Smiling she traced his smile and said a prayer. For him for her and the future.

Mia couldn't look up she knew her best friend was walking away but she just couldn't find the strength to look up. She wasn't smart enough to know the words to make her stay. Rocking in place as the tears fell on that white box, she listened to the footsteps leaving. The room, the stairs, the house.


	2. My Dreams

A/N: Thanks to my 2 reviewers I'm glad you liked it so far. I apologize in advance for my lack of knowledge on CA.. I am D.C. girl so I guessed on the Venice thing. Again I own nothing and mean no harm. Please review!

Present Day

Memories had been painful for so long. Any thoughts about the Crew, Jesse, Him had left her unbalanced. Time had separated the pain from the memories and she could over them now. Flipping through days and hours both good and bad.

"Come on Boots."

Barking loudly he raced over to her and nearly toppled her over as she tried to stand. Boots had been a mess of a pup when she found him at the shelter. But one look at him and she knew he was the one for her. She was consistent in that if nothing else. Rubbing his ears she turned and headed home.

The beach house came into view and it still amazed her that it was hers. All hers. When she had first moved here the small apartment on Locust had been great. One bedroom, in a quiet building, she could hole up there and just sleep. But this place was so different, she had fought for it and worked hard in it and it was hers. As she entered her thoughts once again her thoughts drifted back to that night.

18 months earlier

One more step, one more step, one more step. The words streamed through her mind as more distance fell between her and the only home she had ever known. Without a car she not given much thought to how she would get where she was going, but one more step would get her there.

As she made it further away from the neighborhood she had grown up in paranoia began to set in. Her eyes continually darted around. She turned her face away from passing cars. No one could see her, know what she doing or they'd tell.

The bag of belongings had seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean everyone needed clothes right? But now it felt as though with her black bag of posessions she stood out and that was not a good thing.

At the end of the block was the solution. Stopping into the 24 hr. laundry mat she bought an over sized bag to dump her shit in. That way anyone looking would think she was doing a late laundry run. Appearances were still important even in a getaway. Pleased with her solution she headed back onto the sidewalk and knew it was time to make some decisions.

Just as she was getting ready to sit and think over her options a bus pulled up in front of her and she looked up. She had stopped by a bustop.

"Coming in or not?"

Startled she looked up. The driver was talking to her.

"Where you going?"

"Venice, you on or not?"

"Yeah."

Stepping up she couldn't even remember the last time she had used public transportation. Pulling two bucks from her pocket she took her transfer and moved to an empty seat.

Her reflection was calm, no one would be able to tell she was bleeding inside. And for that she was glad. They passed so many places she knew and others she didn't. Life had been exciting here, but all in all predictable. Same stores, same restaurants every week. There were places down the block she had never been in simply because no one else had.

The brakes on the bus groaned as it stopped to let someone off and someone on. What a way to travel. She sighed, leaning her forehead on the glass, just as so many weary travelers had done before her. Pretty soon they were on the freeway heading away from the jungle and towards the water.

"Last stop."

The voice startled her. She sat up and looked around. Had she slept? She didn't think so. Just wandered off.

scrambling to get off before she was dragged back by her two dollar fare she took note of her surroundings. She was in the heart of the surf and turf. Bodies draped in scraps and muscles slathered in oil glistened in the artificial light. Heading off towards thinner crowds she decided to find a room, something facing the water. Then she would wait out her deal with Mia.

The further down the walk she went the quieter it got. Better for her mood she supposed. Stopping at the first vacancy sign she saw she went in.

What appeared to be an ancient man sat behind the counter listening to the opening monologue of Leno. He looked up when she stepped up to the counter.

"May I help you?"

She cleared her throat and spoke,

"I was wondering if you had any ocean view rooms?"

"How long you needing it?"

"Tonight and tomorrow at least."

Watching as he rose and shifted through some scraps of what appeared to be invoices of some kind she set her bag down.

"I think I may have. Had a last minute cancellation. It's up on the fourth floor 80 a night. There's a balcony."

Reaching into her front pocket she pulled out her money, there was more hidden elsewhere. She had emptied her bank account that morning. The rest was from her more lucrative days before everything had fallen apart.

Pulling two hundreds out she handed them to him and in exchange took a key and two twenties.

"Stairs back there will take you up then just follow the signs."

Before she left she thought to ask,

"Any place nearby to grab a bite?"

He had already turned back to the t.v..

"The diner down the block is open late."

Picking up her bag she headed where he had pointed and made her way up the stairs. Every muscle fought the ascent and for the first time she realized just how exhausted she was.

Little plastic arrows pointed to her room and with a sigh of relief she made her way inside. The room was small, but neat and very clean. Dumping her bag on the extra bed she immediately headed towards the curtains that would lead her outside.

As she pulled them apart she was rewarded with a beautiful view of the ocean. It was in that moment, that small space of time it took her eyes to adjust to the moonlight over the waves that she could do this.

Hugging her arms around her waist she stepped outside and looked over the horizon. Powerful and unforgiving that was what the ocean felt like tonight. Wave after wave pounded the beach, and even though it gave up some ground, even more held firm and stayed strong.

Laughing at herself she imagined what they would have thought of the thoughts running through her mind now. Turning back inside she decided against the diner and in favor of the vending machines she had passed in the hall. Key in hand she left the room and made way to ravage the machines.

Present Day

Heading into the kitchen, grabbing a water from the fridge she threw boots a treat and went for the bathroom. Time had caught up with her and now she was running behind. A quick shower was all she had time for before she had to be at Reni's.

Stripping she left her sweaty clothes in a pile by the shower. This bathroom was joined to the master bedroom and the first room she had renovated. She had selected every tile, color and feature in here. Since then soaking in the sunken tub, the room lit with nothing but moonlight had become a weekly ritual.

Warm water poured over her and washed away the heat of the day. There would be no time for long soaks today. She had a lunch shift to work and then she had to look over the plans for next week's lessons.

Stepping from the wide stall she walked naked and confident to the closet unconcerned with the water dripping, it would dry. Pulling a towel from the shelf she dried herself and imagined what they would think of her now. That had been happening a lot lately. Wondering what they would think, what they were doing. It was part of the healing she guessed.

It wouldn't be too much longer she supposed. Six months had already gone by and nothing yet. A part of her wanted it too happen. Was anxious for it to occur, but another part a bigger part was still terrified.

Would she have done anything differently if she had known today was the day?


	3. Are Fading

A/N: The reviews so far have been wonderful. Thanks to all who have taken the time to drop a line. I hope this chappy was worth the wait. As always I own nothing and mean no harm. Reviews are like a little Christmas every day. Thanks

Present Day

Locking up she grabbed Boots by the collar and attached his leash. He was a good dog, but got a little rowdy in crowds. They headed off towards the diner only five minutes behind schedule. In the past year and a half she had yet to drive a car. Funny how things change. Any trips out of town, and there had been a few, had been by bus. Or train. Now there was something she loved. The pull of the engine, the churning sounds. What a wonderful feeling.

"Come on boy."

Their relatively short walk had ended and Boots made himself comfortable in the small office in the back of the diner. Pulling her hair up and slipping into an apron she made her way to the kitchen.

"Hola chica."

Reni's wife Carlotta was flipping burgers and threw her a big smile over her shoulder.

"Hey."

"Go running yet?"

"Yeah, a long one. I was almost late today."

"Really slacking there girl. I must talk to the boss."

Snickering she grabbed and quickly read the next order. Turning to vast freezer and fresh station she began the next meal. Mia had always been a whiz in the kitchen. Many of her previous attempts had ended in small fires. And an eventual ban from the kitchen.

She had started here as a dishwasher. Watching how Carlotta moved around the kitchen was easy and she began to memorize the orders. Her dishes were not creative or spontaneous but she was an amazing assembly cook. The menu was memorized and every dish could be prepared in under ten minutes. Perfect for a busy lunch rush.

At home she had created her own menu. All items in her fridge could be easily thrown together as long as it was on the "Menu."

"Order up."

Food passed through and paper came in. The pace was steady and that was good, made the time go by. Carlotta was humming and her mind began to wander back again.

The vending machines had abated her appetite. Leaning back in a patio chair, she couldn't seem to pull her eyes away from the ocean. Only complete exhaustion prevented her from running fully clothed into the waves. By 1 am her eyes were drifting shut every few seconds.

Rising she locked the door and pulled the curtains tight. She wanted to sleep for days. At the last minute she thought to dig out her charger and plug in her phone.

Then she crawled under the covers and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Strangely enough it was the silence that woke her. Every morning for as long as she could recall so many noises had startled her awake. Yelling, phones, backfire, music, snoring, or something delicious. Not this day. Saturday morning had left the tourists lazy and sleeping in. Rising she went to the window and again was amazed by the beautiful view. As wonderful as it had been different the night before.

Pushing back the thought that it was nearly noon and her phone remained silent she made her way to the bathroom. Determined to find a good meal and do some exploring.

Present Day

"Letty, girl, you're potatoes are well and mashed."

Carlotta had noticed her distraction today and wondered if it had anything to do with that big man that had been around lately. He had not asked specifically about her Letty, but there was something familiar about him. When Letty had talked of her Dom she had seen the way her eyes lit up with both pain and happiness. The decision to not tell her of the man's appearance weighed on her mind. But the decision had been right. It had not been the time for them. That time would be soon. Grabbing the spoon from her still hand she pushed the smaller frame aside.

"You go now, girl. Your mind is not here and you need to go find it."

Embarrassed Letty tried to push her way back in, but the woman was like a wall.

"No, Carlotta I got it."

"No, no you get out of my kitchen. You do enough of my job for the day. Go find your thoughts."

Glancing at the clock she saw it was almost time to go anyway. Pulling off her apron she smiled at Carlotta's back and wondered how she always seemed to know.

"Thanks Carlotta, I'll see you tomorrow."

Singing her goodbye she made note to call Javier in to cover Letty's shift tomorrow.

The diner had charm. Old, but clean and run by a husband and wife. It was the place you went every day for the same dish that was ready for you when you walked in. She ordered too much food and ate most of it. Her appetite had returned full force. Taking a menu with her she made her way back out and into the awful heat of the day. If possible it was hotter here than during a twelve hour shift in the garage. The silent cell was stuffed in the pocket of her too tight, too hot jeans. Making her way up to the slowly filling boardwalk it occurred to her that she may need some new clothes.

Now clothes had never been her thing. That was Mia's thing. Jeans, tanks and boots were all that were need at the garage and the races. And damn if she didn't look good in ass tight jeans and a wife beater. But this place was different. No boots in sight and the tightest thing in sight was the skin around the fake boobs.

Weaving her way around a frenzied family she found herself inside one of those beach shops that sell everything. A strange force was pushing her further into the store and looking at beach ware. Her confused face must have been a dead give away that she was out of her environment.

"Whatcha looking for?"

A skinny little blonde girl had seen her dilemma and was smiling at her.

"Um, don't know."

Later she would realized that that was the wrong thing to say. Before she knew it she was locked in a dressing room with clothes being thrown at her. An hour later she walked out with several full bags of clothes. She was wearing a pair of cotton capri's and a halter tank in a dark purple. It was different, but she could live with it. It was a lot cooler. Hidden at the bottom of one of the bags buried under shorts and sneakers was a bikini.

Shaking her head she wondered when she would ever be wearing that particular item. Making her way back to her room she dumped her purchases on the unused bed and decided that shopping was harder than an oil change and crashed out for a nap.

She still had that suit. There were no more issues with bikini's Mia would be proud to know she owned several. Shopping was also easier now. Her wardrobe was far more diverse now. Boots was pulling her home and a block from the house she felt it. Just a tingle on the back of her neck. Turning she scanned the few people on the street, but saw nothing.

"Come on boy."

It was time to go home.

A/N: For those of you still with me I am going to attempt Dom/Mia POV in the next chappy. So hang in there. :)


	4. The Love of My Life

A/N: Thanks to all the wonderful reviews. They mean a lot and kept my muse nagging. This chappy was hard. The voices are not as clear to me as Letty's but I will do my best for all of you. The lines break past from present. I hope it's not too confusing. Again, I own nothing and mean no harm. Reviews make my day, keep em coming.:)

Present Day

Dom paced the length of his small hotel room. The walls were closing in on him. Walls had been doing that for the last eighteen months. Events since that weekend seemed almost surreal. Like it was someone else's life who had been turned upside down.

For the first time, in a long time, his senses were sharp. Colors were bright again. He had found her. Actually he had found her a week ago. Word had come into the garage from a complete stranger about the mods being done in Venice. Then he had heard the name and his heart skipped a beat. Letty.

So he had come here with every intention of beating down her door and, well he wasn't sure what then.

But then he had seen her. Running of all things, on the beach with a dog. Concentration etched on her beautiful face. His eyes had followed her movements and he had ached to just touch her. For so long he had not touched her. Aches and pains had been his companion for the last year and a half.

Now as he walked the room he felt some of that pain slip away. Things were so different now. Different from when she had been with him, when she had left, when he had found her, and now that he had seen her, things were more different than he could have possible imagined.

The old Dom would have rushed the beach and demanded answers, forced her back to him with the power he knew he wielded over so many. Choosing instead to watch her, see what her life was now was the smartest decision he had made in a long time.

Stopping he walked over to the glass door he stepped out and looked out over the water. He could tell why she had stayed here. It was beautiful here.

She was a woman now. Of course she had been a woman all along he had just never seen it. She had just been Letty. Always there. His mind began to drift back then to when she had not been there.

* * *

The party had been wild. The three of them barely made it back to house. Stumbling up the stairs he made it the bed seconds before he passed out.

He felt as though someone was hammering on his head. Light filled the room and he closed his eyes. The clothes he wore were stiff and reeked of alcohol, exhaust and smoke. Pushing himself up he made it too the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Grabbing a toothbrush he scrubbed his dry mouth ferociously. They had tore it up last night. All he wanted was a long shower and more sleep.

With his shower done he pulled on some sweats and crawled back into bed. He just wanted to sleep.

* * *

Shaking himself of the frustrating memory his anger at himself had not abated over time. How had he not noticed the empty bed. Not sensed her absence from the room. Dropping onto the bed he cradled his bald head and for the thousandth time wondered why he was here.

A slamming door startled him awake. From the direction of the sound it was Mia.

"Fuck."

Rising he forced his muscles to relax and headed back to bathroom. In there he found clean jeans and a shirt. His stomach was growling and after that episode he was in no mood to bother Mia for food.

Striding down the steps his thoughts were on a big meal and a cool beer to settle his head and stomach. A glance at the clock showed that he had slept through most of the daylight. After a meal there were be enough time to visit the garage and Harry's before the drive to the races. With a plan in place he headed out for another Saturday night like so many others.

That was what killed him. The night had been like so many others. His routine like any other race night. No thoughts but for what he wanted, what he needed. Her absence had not entered his thoughts.

After a large meal of burgers and fries he grabbed his phone and called Vince.

"Yeah, I'm on the way to the garage now and then to Harry's. Right."

Hanging up he threw away the trash and headed to the car and to the garage to meet Vince.

They grabbed what they need and took the repaired parts to Harry. Going legit was not neither as fun nor profitable, but it was what needed to be done. Since Jesse they had all made an agreement to try it this way. Now racing was still done the old way, but everything else was straight.

Harry's was a five minute stop. Nothing special. Then it was a fill up and off to the races.

Looking back was kind of a blur. There were new faces there and they had raced and then went to a big party across town. Alcohol flowed and they rest was gone. He remembered waking up around 5:00 am in a house he barely remembered going into. He had woken Vince and Leon and they had headed home.

* * *

He stood and looked at his reflection in the mirror. Did he look that different? More muscles defined his frame. Extra time had been spent torturing his body with weights. But the rest of him was no different. Age had hit his heart, where it was not seen by everyone. After Mia's revelation he had lost something.

The three of them made there way into the kitchen around 7am. The drive had been somewhat of an adventure. Seeing as none of them remembered quite how they got there.

"Eggs and toast all around."

He plopped down on a kitchen chair, barely registering Leon's colorful response to his order. Resting his eyes he imagined his head falling off and making the fucking headache going away. When he opened his eyes again they focused on a plate of food.

"Thanks."

Each ate slowly trying to piece together what had happened last night. These dark nights had happened more often in the past six months. It was easier to forget with alcohol. All the pain and guilt would disappear for a few hours at least.

Dropping his plate in the sink he headed into the living room and spread out in his chair and waited for Vince to pick some violent flick and settled back for a few hours of blood.

* * *

What had happened next was ugly and painful.

Heading for the door he headed down the hallway. He had seen enough of her life from a distance. Seen her house. Bought with her money and apparently rebuilt partly with her own hands. Seen the diner where she created meals for others. Wouldn't Mia be proud. Seen the school where she worked and volunteered.

Not worried about people seeing him. People he now know knew her and regarded her as friend. He strode confidently towards her patch of beach. From the street he could see the house. No car sitting out front. Hell there was not even a driveway built.

Anxiety was not an emotion he experienced often, if ever. Racing left him excited, but never anxious, but he supposed that was what he was feeling now as he was heading towards her house. Towards her.

The house was closer now maybe a hundred feet away. He could hear that dog barking inside. Now he stood at her property line. This was the closest he had ventured near her in the week he had dodged her footsteps.

Taking a deep breath he stepped over the invisible line and made his way to her door. It was funny that in less than a minute he would see her eyes. That thought carried him up to her door.

It was wood, whitewashed a light blue to go with the darker blue of the siding. His eyes found the doorbell and he made his hand raise up and push the button.

The dog began barking loudly. Then he heard her voice. Dark and low, like cold fingers on his back.

"Boots shut up man."

Her footsteps were heading towards him now. Eighteen months was melting away with every step.

"I said shut it."

He saw the handle jerk as she grabbed it and he looked down at his feet as the door began to swing open. When he saw two feet before him, his eyes slowly traveled up the length of her frame until he reached her eyes. He saw shock there.

He smiled then. Slow and big. Then he heard what he had been waiting so long for.

"Dom..."

A/N: Whew! this went easier than I thought. I hope I captured the old and new Dom accurately. I am most anxious for these reviews.


	5. I Found

A/N:Sorry for the delay in updates, but family business kept me away from my comp. The reviews have been wonderful thank you. A tremendous fic by the most talented katsalinas actually drew me to this fandom, and I wanted to say give a personal thanks for their wonderful reviews and opinions. Again I own nothing and mean no harm. Reviews are most appreciated.

Present Day

Water was filling the sink. Bubbles were threatening to spill over onto her feet as her hands were still clutching the plate she had begun washing five minutes ago.

It was still so hard to believe. After all this time he had found her.

Dom had left almost a week ago after hearing that Letty was living in Venice of all places. He had called to let her know that he had spotted her, but that had been four days ago and nothing since then.

In the yard Vince and Leon were firing up the grill and laughing about the old days. There was a lot to laugh about, good times, when they had been young and naive. She could laugh about those times now. For a while she had not been able to talk about anything from those days.

Time and love had healed much of that. Her eyes settled on his frame. Letty had been so right. Everything she had been looking for had been right in front of her.

There had been so much pain, she didn't think she could ever be whole again. But then he had come to her and helped her find her way back.

* * *

The front door clicked shut and she felt lost. It wasn't a dream, she was sitting here on the floor by her brother's bed clutching a box that held so much and so little. Rocking she felt the tears start to fall. Letty was gone.

"She'll be back."

The thought gave her hope. She'd come back, by Sunday at the latest. Rising she clutched the box that had been entrusted to her, and headed to her bedroom.

Closing the door behind her she carefully slid the box under the bed. The keys were still in her hand when she fell back on her bed. All thoughts of partying gone. Each key was cool as she turned them over in her hand. It still seemed unreal that she had left her car.

Tears had started falling again. Rolling onto her side she turned off the bedside lamp.

* * *

Finally realizing the kitchen would be flooded soon she turned off the water. Leaving the dishes for later she dried off her hands and took a seat at the table. She hadn't seen much of her brother that Saturday. He had slept through most of the day and left as soon as he had bothered to get up.

Sighing she propped her feet up on the opposite chair and leaned her head back. Her eye caught on the phone that Vince had installed on the wall and wished it would ring.

* * *

Not one word. She had sat by the house phone with her cell clutched in her hand and not a word from him. He had slept most of the day away and now he was God knows where.

Her anger was beginning to boil. She was confident that she would be the one he called when Letty didn't answer. He had no idea what he was in for when he finally did call.

* * *

Snickering she remembered that even then she was still confident he was going to call. Yeah, she had been mad that it was taking so long, but she had never doubted him.

Yells from the back yard had her smiling in that direction. They were fighting over the best way to flip the chicken. Just like they had every time the grill had been turned on since they were all in middle school. It was nice that some things never changed.

* * *

Throwing on some clothes she headed out the door. They would be at the races now. On the drive over she began to feel her first pangs of doubt. It was late in the night and she had thought for sure she would have called her back home by then and they could have gone to the races together.

Pulling up in the long line of cars she left her lights on and headed for the crew. Leon was smiling at Rue and she could feel Vince's eyes following her. Dom was, as usual, pretending to fend off a group of skanks.

Pausing she watched as the scene unfolded. He spoke, they laughed, he looked at their boobs, and they thrust them out. God, what must it have been for Letty to see this all the time. Always having to fend them off, be the tough bitch, even when it hurt so much inside.

She'd seen enough. Turning she headed back to her car and waited.

* * *

Dom had raced Brian's car that night and had won too. That was clear. She remembered Vince coming over and inviting her to a party, but she didn't go. The sight of two girls climbing in that car and heading off was enough to end her evening.

Getting home and through the rest of the night was a blur. She had fallen asleep with two phones by her side and more tears falling. Rising she made her way through the living room. Hopefully Letty would like the changes. Life had gone on in the last eighteen months, but there would always be a place for her.

* * *

Pacing was not something she liked to do. It made her feel desperate. But dammit if she wasn't desperate to know why. Why hadn't he called? Why hadn't he noticed the absence of his girlfriend for nearly forty-eight hours?

Letty had stayed unofficially in this house every night since they had gotten together, he should have noticed!

She could hear them fumbling around in the kitchen. Leon was probably making them breakfast. She knew that they had not come home last night. Had Vince found someone too?

"Ahhhggggg!"

It was too much. First Letty, and then Dom, and now Vince. She could feel her brain literally expanding and contracting. What she wouldn't give to just go downstairs and smack him in the head, but she had promised her that she'd wait until he made the first move.

So she paced.

* * *

The bathroom was filling with steam. A hot shower would clear her head. Wash away some of the anxiety. That day had been so hard, she had almost lost what was left of her family.

* * *

There were screams and gunshots coming from downstairs. One of their stupid action movies. Only five and a half hours left. Her eyes kept glancing at the clock on her wall. Where was she now? Was she ok?

Her room was so small. Pushing open the window she leaned out. The day was warm, the heat of the day had not completely set in. She needed to get out, but they were down there. Questions would not be a good thing right now.

Glancing out at the old tree by her window she wondered if she still had it in her. There had not been too many years passed since she'd snuck out with the aid of that tree. Suddenly the urge was overwhelming.

Grabbing her cell and wallet she swung her leg over the sill.

* * *

Shampoo ran out of her hair and she reached blindly for the conditioner. That day after her escape through the tree she had walked the old neighborhood. Visiting all the places they had roamed as kids. School had been out but a few kids played on the old court where hours had been passed.

Washing the conditioner out she faced the realization that her shower had to end. One moment was still fresh in her mind, the pain even now was deep. She had made her way back to the house and when her foot swung up on the first branch she knew there would be no calls. 1:46 pm and she had lost her best friend. 1:46:04 and she had lost part of her brother.

* * *

Back in her room she heard more screams and car tires squealing. A new movie was playing. Panicked she grabbed the box from under the bed and clutched it too her. Tears were falling as her hand wrapped around the key ring.

1:49. There was still time.

That little voice was drowned out by her choking sobs. Rocking back and forth on the bed that she hadn't known she'd fallen on her heart broke.

1:56. Sadness was slipping away to anger. At herself for not seeing. At Dom for not knowing. At Letty for being so goddamned stubborn. If only she'd said something sooner.

Beeping drew her attention to the night stand. The alarm on her cell was going off. She didn't remember even setting it.

So that was it. Time's up.

"Fuck."

Louder this time her temper grew.

"You MOTHER FUCKER!"

Opening her door she ran down the stairs and to the yard where they had all gathered.

she could see their eyes on her. Vince rose out of concern, Leon took a step back. And then there was her big brother relaxing on the table without a care in the world.

"You ASSHOLE! It's your fault."

"Mia, what..."

Facing him she shut him up with the thrust of the box into his hands.

"Letty's gone. Took off Friday night and you never even noticed you bastard."

The strength with she hit him would have earned a vicious counter punch form Dom had it been anyone but his sister. She knew that and didn't care one bit. A punch wouldn't hurt half as much as she already did.

"Gone, what the fuck are you talking about Mia."

She wiped the tears from her face and took a step closer.

"All this time she's been hurting and none of us saw. Just went on like nothing had happened. She knew you were cheating again."

She watched him stare at the box in his hands as though he were afraid it would break.

" I saw you last night. Did you fuck them Dom? Did you even think about what she was doing? How much you hurt her every time."

The others had taken steps back, each looking as though they had been sucker punched.

"I caught her before she left, and I bet her you'd notice she was gone. And she took the bet, I believed it with all my heart you'd call me asking about her."

Throwing her cell at him she watched it bounce of his chest and fall to the grass.

"She wouldn't leave."

Snorting Mia dangled the keys in front of his bowed head. She wanted him to hurt.

"Theses are for you."

When he looked up Mia almost pulled her hand back, she had seen, if briefly pain in his eyes. Almost instantly the pain was replaced by an anger that had her stepping back.

"MIA!"

Dom roared at her, grabbing the keys he dropped the box.

"Where is she?"

All she could do was look at the memories spilled on the ground and tears began to flow.

He shook her then and she looked up. He was unrecognizable, his eyes were black and his muscles were tight.

"Where!"

"I don't know. She wouldn't say. Only that if there was no call by 2pm she'd be gone."

He looked over at Leon, and shouted, "Call her."

"It's in the shed, behind the garage."

They all froze then not understanding what she meant. Tired, she looked down at his hand.

"NO!"

She felt him let go and she sank to the grass. Vince had run to her and was cradling her.

"Please don't let him hurt her car. I can't...I promised her I would keep it safe. Vince please..."

As she was pleading to him she saw something then in his eyes. Something she had never let herself see before. She heard him tell Leon to watch her and felt him let go, heard his whispered promise.

* * *

Leon had told her she had blacked out then. He'd never been so scared. Smiling she remembered weeks later when he'd told her that. True to his word Vince had kept her car safe, the same could not be said for the rest of the garage.

Strong arms now wrapped around her waist.

"Hey beautiful, you hiding?"

Turning she looked into his eyes. Eyes that were full of love and trust. She was so lucky.

"No, just remembering."

Placing a small kiss on his bearded cheek. She rested her head against his cheek.

"I love you Vinnie."

Things would be ok, Letty was coming home.

A/N:whew...that was a pain. Sorry it took so long. Mia wasn't talking to me like she was supposed to. Letty will be upcoming, my girl's been a little jealous.


	6. Broken Melody

A/N: Hey guys. Are you still with me? I hope this chappy is up to par, I was feeling kinda blue. Had some things to work through. Well enjoy, please review, and as usual I own nothing.

"I hear ya man."

Boots was barking up a storm as they headed into the kitchen. Lunchtime for the both of them.

Taking out the dog food she poured him a healthy portion. A sandwich and a beer was what she needed. Getting these fucking thoughts out of her head would be nice too.

Having fixed a huge sandwich she grabbed a corona and headed for the deck to settle in. Solitary living suited her. She had no friends other than at the diner. Just her and Boots, and she liked it that way. But sometimes, times like now, she wished she had someone to share lunch with.

Had he found someone new? Sighing, she took a big bite. Of course he had. If having her there hadn't kept him straying, how could she expect him to have...what waited for her. It was ludicrous to even think.

Snorting she took a swig of her drink and propped her feet up.

* * *

Having slept all day she found herself alone on the bright boardwalk at night. Jesse would have loved it here. The lights and booths would have had him running around like a little kid. Smiling she headed for the nearest cholesterol stand and pigged out.

Alone on a Saturday night, they would all be at races by now. Her hands suddenly itched for her car. The speed and power of the engine. Taking a deep breath she pushed the yearning away and headed out towards the water.

It was amazing. Even more beautiful than her view from the balcony had allotted. She knew it was close to midnight. Time's almost up. Fingering the phone in her pocket she wished Mia would call. That there would be a tearful reunion followed by kisses and a long night of guilty sex.

Tears started falling then. For there would be no more kisses, no happy reunion. She was as sure of that as she was of each wave coming to meet her. Sobs ripped through her as she remembered his hands on her the first time they had made love. The promises and the dreams that had been lost.

So much love had been given and for too long not received and it hurt. It hurt. Somehow the admission was comforting. He had hurt her and she could say that now.

Looking around she saw that she was alone on the beach. Her tears were dry and her head was pounding. All alone she would have to make her way back to the room. All alone she would find a place here to live. All alone she start her life. It was how she wanted it right?

"It's too fucking late to change your mind."

The gritty sound of her own voice startled her and she rose. Not bothering to wipe off the sand, all she wanted was to sleep.

* * *

She remembered now that she had slept soundly. No dreams, just sleep.

Taking her dishes to the sink, she dropped them in the sink and headed for the bedroom. Playful noises coming from the living room made her smile. Boots was no doubt tearing up something of hers.

Stripping out of her diner soaked clothes she slipped into white chinos and a skin tight purple tank. Mia would have loved the outfit, "very Letty," she would have called it. The voice in her head made her smile.

Carlotta said she didn't smile enough. Maybe not, but she had more to smile about now than she had then.

* * *

Waking was painful. Her muscles were stiff and her clothes had melted it seemed into her skin. Stretching she hazard a glance at the clock. 11:18am.

"Arrggg..."

Shower and coffee, the only things her brain could process. Stumbling to the bathroom she cleared enough of the fuzz from her brain to make coffee. Thank God for hotel amenities.

Sipping her first cup she looked again. 12:02pm. Two hours. Just two hours. And then what?

"Fucker."

That questioning voice was becoming a pain in the ass. If she were really honest with herself she could admit she was angry. Angry that she had been right about being unnoticed. She could almost admit that she was terrified that she would actually have to face this thing she had started. But if she were really going to be honest with herself she would admit that she was scared they would call. That she would have to go back. Go back to everything just as it was.

But then again she wasn't being honest with herself was she. She was just drinking coffee watching red hued people walk below her.

* * *

Walking through her house she fingered the books that lined the walls of her study. Each one had been carefully read and cared for.

Passing through the living room she stroked the t.v. she'd indulged in. The inches would have made Vince's jaw drop.

Nearing the stairs she paused before heading up.

The house had been in disrepair when she had first seen it. Two levels of work. The first floor was done just how she dreamed it could be.

At the landing she looked around. Bare walls, sleek hard wood floors were all that this floor had to offer. Too many rooms for a person all alone.

A real two story home needed lots of feet racing the halls. Doors slamming. People yelling. So this floor would remain bare until more hands could help bring it to life.

* * *

People must have thought she was mad. Wading into the sea up to her knees fully clothed. Wearing clothes brought with her she held her phone in her hand.

1:53pm. The digits blinked at her steadily. As if they had no care in the world.

Seagulls were flying overhead. Kids were shouting. A beautiful day at the beach.

God how she wished it would end. Just for the day to be over she would pay a fortune.

1:55pm. What was he doing? Was Mia alright?

Her knuckles squeezed over the metal.

1:55pm. So close, so far. Her breathing was coming heavier. She took a few more steps out. People had moved away from her as though they expected her to throw herself in.

1:58pm. Scrunching her eyes shut she went in up to her thighs. Leon, Vince, Jesse, Mia...

"Dom."

Her whispered voice was drowned out by the beeping on her cell. Gasping for breath she hadn't realized she was holding her fist opened. The phone fell into the sea, still beeping.

* * *

Letting go of the railing she was clutching she steadied herself and headed downstairs. Boots was scrambling around the entryway. He must have caught a scent of something.

Just as she made it to the kitchen the doorbell rang. Frowning she turned and tried to quiet her barking dog.

Yelling a second time she didn't have a clue who it could be. Wrapping her hand around the doorknob she yanked the door open.

P.S.: The title of this story was inspired by the wonderful Linda Ronstadt song, "Perfidia." It can be found on the Mambo Kings soundtrack. Just a little info in case you were wondering!


	7. Gods Above

A/n: Hey all. I'm grateful for the positive feedback. I hope you all enjoy. Oh, and a note to katsalinas, it was one day, one night that drew me to this fandom. Can't wait for more on the sequel. As usual I own nothing and have the best intentions for my Letty. Review Please!

_Dom_

"Dom..."

Her voice was ringing in his ears. Smiling at her he hadn't moved a muscle, he could feel his body tensing up with the urge to touch her. Grasping his hands behind his back he waited.

It was her move to make, and by it could take a minute. Judging by the way her mouth was hanging open, just a little.

Up close he could see how she had changed. Her hair was longer, her skin darker, and she was more beautiful than he could almost bare.

Cocking his head he wondered what she was thinking. Looking down he glanced over at the dog that was sniffing around her ankles.

God her feet were bare. Fingers tightened over flesh, just a touch was all he wanted. But this was not about what he wanted, yet.

Would his touch be wanted?

That little fucking voice had been popping up since she left and he was real sick of it. Getting mad at the voice always helped when he was avoiding the questions it posed. And that was one question he definitely wanted to avoid.

_Letty_

Oh Shit, Oh Shit, Oh Shit...Was it possible for your brain to hyperventilate? It was Dom, standing outside her door.

Looking better than should be allowed. What was he...How did he...Oh Shit.

Oh, no he was smiling. Her knees almost buckled then. He had put on more weight.

Damn, he looked good.

Why was he just standing there, waiting? He should have been yelling or grabbing or doing something Dom-y. But he was just standing there.

She knew it was a possibility that he would find her since she had come out of hiding, but in none of her fantasy reunions. Not that there were any, had they met here.

What was he thinking? He just cocked his head and that little smile was still playing on his lips.

Shock had sent her body numb, but now she realized that she was clutching the doorknob still and her fingers hurt.

It was Boots that brought her back to reality. He had begun sniffing at her ankles trying to push her out of the way to get outside.

"Dom."

Pleased that her voice was stronger she was also dismayed that the movement revealed her mouth had been hanging open.

"Letty."

Any strength she had manifested fled the moment he spoke.

_Dom_

Coming here had been an impulse. Now that he was here, the next step was unclear.

"Dom."

Hearing her voice again made it all real once more. Eighteen months. And now it was over.

"Letty."

"You're here."

Smiling, he looked down at her feet again, even her toes were tan.

"I'm here."

She had let go of the door and it seemed she didn't quite know what to do with her hands.

Would she invite him in? Slam the door in his face? He should say something impressive.

"Nice dog."

That's real smooth...they both looked down at the dog and the tension eased a little.

"Thanks, he's Boots."

_Letty_

Hearing her name in, just that way and she felt her heart beat a little faster. No one could say it quite like Dom could.

What had she just said?

"I'm here."

So he was. Oh, God. She should say something. They couldn't just stay in the door forever.

"Nice dog."

She looked down at Boots still trying to get out and introduced him.

Stepping closer to him she caught a scent. That purely male scent that was Dom.

OK, this was stupid. Invite him in, have a beer, and then...well then she'd worry about that.

"Wanna come in?"

He wouldn't say no would he? He'd come all this way and he'd want to come in, right?

"Sure."

The distance between them closed as he stepped into the entry. No black on him today. Khakis and a white tee.

God, it just wasn't fair.

She wondered then why all her memories of him he wore black.

So now they were just standing here. It had never been this awkward between them. But then they were different people now. She had no right to presume to know him anymore.

"I have beer."

_Dom_

Up until the point she invited him in he thought she would turn him away.

"Sure."

Taking a step inside he was a step closer to her. Had he ever seen purple on her before? It suited her. Sexy and subtle.

"I have beer."

Beer. That he could handle.

"Thanks."

She turned hesitantly and he followed her into the kitchen.

Taking note of his surroundings, he was impressed. Her house was beautiful.

The kitchen was big and clean. Mia would be in heaven, she complained often of the lack of space in the kitchen.

Putting distance between them he took to one side of the island and leaned against the sink. He couldn't take his eyes of her. Moving through the kitchen with confidence he took the beer she placed on the counter.

Their eyes met over the upturned bottles, his chest tightened.

"So, how did you find me?"

Putting the bottle down he crossed his arms and gathered his thoughts.

"A guy came in with a civic. Pretty thing. Blue with silver lines. When Vince popped the hood, well let's just say we knew."

_Letty_

Breaths were coming easier now. He had accepted her offer and now they were in the kitchen. On auto she grabbed two bottles out of the fridge and popped the tops. Placing his down she took a big drink.

His eyes locked with hers as they drank. What did she see? Power, the same power he used so well with so many. But also control. That gave her pause.

She asked what was most pressing on her mind and listened carefully to his answer.

"Knew what?"

He was looking at his bottle, picking at the label.

"You had worked on that car. We all just knew. Not many people can do mods like that."

She smiled. When she had started working on cars again she knew it was a possibility they would see her work. The racing scene wasn't that big.

"Civic, huh? I just finished that like a week ago."

"Yeah, owner wanted a charger installed. Said he'd just picked it up. When he said the work had been done in Venice I was surprised."

Uncomfortable she took another big drink. Some of his control seemed to be slipping.

"When he said it had been at a school. I was shocked."

_Dom_

Had it only been a week since they had seen that Civic pull up? He had called every contact on the shore finding what he could about the school the guy said that "girl" had worked.

A part of him had wanted to smash his face in, as he talked about the girl with the "tight ass." That piece of shit had seen and spoken to his Letty. Leon had calmed him down and he had gone and worked the phones.

Taking another drink he was glad for the distraction. He was getting carried away.

"I worked the phones until I found out that you were really here."

He put his beer down and placed his hands on the tiled counter before him. Noting her reflexive step back he took a deep breath.

"Been here the whole time?"

"The neighborhood. I got this place almost a year ago."

A year, it seemed impossible. For a year she had been coming home here and living her life.

Fuck, there were so many questions he had, and he still ached to touch her. Reigning in his frustration he tried to stay calm.

_Letty_

Small talk sucked. They were both dancing around real questions now.

Boots had begun barking. They both looked in his direction. Outside thunder rumbled.

"Storm's coming."

Stating the obvious, that's great. Enough of this. What did he want? Just showing up here like this.

"Dom, what do you want?"

His head whipped over and dark eyes bored into hers.

"What do I want?"

Control was slipping, she could tell. His voice was low, she had barely heard him. Standing up she prepared herself for what she knew was coming.


	8. Romantic Fools

_A/N:_ Two chappys in one day! A record for me.This scene was too much for one listing. Anyway I digress. Please enjoy and review. Again I own nothing and mean no harm. Oh, and I guessed on her age and I don't know shit about cars. I hope it made sense!

_Dom_

What did he want? How could she not know. Eighteen months and now she wants to know what he wants. Straightening his tense back he looked at her. Her walls were up, the calm was over.

"Answers Letty. I came here to know why. To understand how you could have just left. Just walked away like it was nothing."

This was not how he had wanted this to go. All the things he thought he had learned were slipping away. She was getting angry, her fist was flexing open to close.

"It wasn't nothing, Dom. It was the hardest fucking thing I ever had to do!"

She grabbed her Corona and took the last drink, slamming the bottle down she glared at him.

"And you want to know why. I thought it was clear why."

Frustrated he ran a hand over his scalp.

"A box and a set of keys doesn't cover it, Letty. You walked out."

_Letty_

Oooh, he should have known better.

"You came all this way for answers Dom. Are you sure you really want them?"

Looking at him she saw him consider her words.

"I need them, Letty."

He needed them. Of course. It was what he needed.

"You need them. Right."

Hope was fading. Nothing had changed. Just the location.

_Dom_

What was he doing? Pushing her, letting his temper get to him. He was losing her.

Turning from him she was looking out the window. Clouds had rolled in, the sky was growing darker.

Would she believe the things he had to tell her? After how he had handled this, he wasn't sure.

_Letty_

Rain was coming. It seemed mother nature had anticipated the storm brewing in here. Taking a deep breath, she found her voice and turned back around.

"After Jesse died. I really thought things had changed. We were good. The crew was strong. Things were great."

The first drops hit the window and she felt the old pain, the old fears surfacing. She didn't want to do this.

"Then they weren't and I left. Look if that's it then..."

_Dom_

Her shift, caught him off guard. One second she was opening up and now she was cutting him off.

"Letty."

Ignoring him she had turned away and was heading out of the kitchen.

"Letty! We have to finish this."

He was moving now. Following her lead. She was shaking her head.

"No we don't."

"Letty."

She stopped so suddenly he almost collided with her. He caught himself almost wrapping his arms around her, they were too close.

Taking a step back, he could read the pain in her eyes.

"You come here. All smiles. And start demanding answers. Well here you go. I was hurt, Dom. Humiliated. Again you were cheating on me."

He tried to speak but she caught him off.

"After I found out, I took a hard look at things as they were."

Were those tears in her eyes?

"I was 26. Living in a house that wasn't mine, with a man who wasn't mine."

If she had punched him, it would have hurt less.

"I had nothing to call my own. Your crew, your friends, your family. It was all about you Dom."

Any time he went to speak she would hold her hand up.

"It wouldn't have been so bad, you know if we had been a real couple. Couples share. But I was never really anything but comfortable."

_Letty_

It hurt to say it finally. To admit how little she felt needed in the scope of their life together.

The look on his face was one of shock. Well he had wanted the fucking answers.

"So one day I take stock of my life, sounds stupid right? And you know what I found? Not much of a life."

"Friends who weren't mine and a man I couldn't satisfy. Why would any one have stayed?"

Pain was welling up in her heart. Seeing him, hearing his voice, made her long for something she never really had.

She couldn't look at him anymore. Making her way to the doors that led outside she opened them and let the cool air wash over her.

_Dom_

Over time Mia had told him what had transpired in the bedroom. But he had no idea. There was so much he had to make up for, he had to make her understand.

"Letty."

"There's nothing left to say."

Now he was pissed. She was shutting him out without a chance.

Well maybe he didn't deserve a chance, but he had to try.

Walking over to her he stood behind her. Looking out the sea was churning with violence.

"You're right. There isn't anything left to say."

_Letty_

Of all the things she had expected, that was not one of them. All she wanted to do was scream, but he was still here. His breath behind her like salt on her wounds. She wanted to be alone, but then he would have to leave.

"Our time together after, everything, it should have been better."

Opening her eyes, she couldn't register what he was saying.

"But Letty that didn't mean I didn't deserve a chance to make it right."

His voice was low right behind her.

"How would I have done that Dom, walk up to you one day at your garage, and ask you to fix our relationship? You would have laughed me out of the room."

It sounded harsh when she said it out loud, but she was too hurt now to care.

"I deserved better."

Stepping out onto the deck, she walked to the railing and clutched at the wood.

_Dom_

Coming out after her, he knew he had a chance. This one chance to make her see.

"You deserved everything Letty. Everything I didn't give you and more."

Not trusting himself not to grab her, he too clutched the worn wood.

"After Lompoc, you stood by me. Through the trucks, you were by my side. After Jesse, you kept me sane. You're my girl Let..."

It was his turn to talk, so before she got the chance to interrupt, he continued.

"In my heart there was no one else."

Rain was hitting his arms, but he didn't care.

What was she thinking.

"After you left I was lost."

"My parents had been taken from me. Jesse had been killed. I could blame someone else. Hell, even my time in Lompoc was pinned on someone else. I could do that with all of that."

"But with you it was different. I had no one to blame that you were gone. It was my fault. I had driven away the best thing in my life."

_Letty_

Wrapping her arms around her waist, her eyes closed. It didn't seem real. The things he was saying. It seemed that he did see, that he had changed.

She couldn't look at him, she would lose herself then. She couldn't let go yet. Eyes closed again she didn't see him turn and face her.

"The day I found out where you were I left everything and came that night."

Words sank in, but the meaning didn't. If he was here that night, then what had he done for a week?

"That morning I saw you running on the beach. At first I wanted to grab you and you know...but I didn't. I followed you."

He followed me. All week. Oh, God. It was unbelievable.

"Why?"

"You were smiling, you know, happy. And I wanted to know what was it that made you happy now."

It was her smile that had driven him to follow her all week. Trying to find answers from a distance. It was so unlike Dom that it left her speechless. Dom was never one for laying low.

When had he moved in front of her? The wind had shifted and rain soaked her now.

"You have a great life Let, I'm so proud of you."

_Dom_

That was the truth, he was proud of her. Building something special here proved how strong she was.

He had to believe there was hope for them. He couldn't let her go again.

"Letty...Look at me Letty."

As she opened her eyes he stepped closer. This was it. What does one say when they are trying to win back the one they love.

Dropping to his knees before her he wrapped his arms around her waist. It felt so good to be touching her. Feeling that she was real.

"I don't deserve you Letty. I know that, but it doesn't change the fact that I love you. That I will fight for you. I thought you were lost to me forever, but now you're here, and I won't let you go. I can't."


	9. Mortals Be

A/N: Hey...I hope you are still with me. Oh, and I screwed up in the last chappy. I mean to say that she was 24 when she left. And then she'd be around 26 now. My bad. Well, if you're still there please review. As always I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Letty_

They were both soaked through by now, but she didn't care.

Absorbing everything all at once was impossible. She knew that. Looking down at him, holding onto her as though she would disappear she didn't know what to do.

Feeling his arms clutched around her waist, his words pouring through her heart. It was surreal.

Slowly her hands began to move, making their way to the top of his head on their own. Gently touching his scalp feelings overwhelmed her.

"Dom..."

When his head turned to look up at her she found herself cradling his cheeks. Rain was washing over his face and she watched him blinking water out of his eyes.

She knew she loved him. You can't just turn off the love you have for someone.

But could she trust this new Dom? Her heart said yes, her head was not convinced.

"Eighteen months has changed us both, I know that. But it didn't change the love I have for you."

It was true, she did love him so much still, but it wasn't enough. Not yet.

_Dom_

Feeling her hands on him almost undid him. Her touch sent electricity straight through him. Aroused as he was, he couldn't let it control him.

Listening to her, he was elated to know she still loved him. Looking into her eyes he could see her hesitation, felt it in her touch.

He had to tell her, she would just have to believe in him, trust him again.

"Letty, there's only been you in my heart. All this time, there was no one else. Just you in my heart. Just you."

Watching understanding light up in her eyes, hope was getting stronger.

_Letty_

Just her. Did he say that?

"I don't understand. Dom, what do you mean."

Adrenaline was pumping through her. Her hands were clutching his face and she shook him, trying to get answers out of him.

"I meant what I said. There isn't anyone else for me, Letty. Not anymore. Just you."

No one else for him, but her. He hadn't been with anyone since her. All this time. It was unbelievable. He hadn't been able to keep his hands off anything with tits. For her he had waited.

My God.

Wrapping her arms around him she pulled him tight against her. Trust. All the time she'd been with him her trust in him was jaded. Now that she had left he had earned it back absentia.

"Dom."

She felt his body shift and he rose before her. Big arms were wrapping around her, pulling her into a vicious hug.

This was right, she knew it in her heart. He had come here for her. And she wanted him, wanted to know who he was again. Learn about him, this new Dom, teach him about the new Letty.

That would come later. Now all she wanted was to feel him on her.

_Dom_

It was too much, hearing her speak his name. He knew he had a chance. He asn't about to let it go.

Rising he wanted more. To feel more of her against him.

Tangling his hands into her hair he breathed in the scent of her. So beautiful. Pressing his lips against her neck, he dared a kiss.

Hearing her soft moan almost undid him. It had been so long. Just now he felt how long it had been.

Placing another kiss just under her ear he felt her hands clutch at his shirt.

Slow, slow, slow. Repeating it over and over. It helped.

Pressing her against the railing his teeth nipped at her earlobe and her moan got a little louder.

Not one to be outdone he felt her hands slip under his shirt. Nails dug into his back as his kisses peppered along her jawline.

"Dom...Dom..."

He had trouble pulling his lips away from her skin to look at her.

_Letty_

Every nerve was on fire. Each kiss sent a shock through her body, she knew she was already wet. God, the things he could do to her.

But he had to know, she wanted to tell him. It was fair.

When he finally reigned it in enough to look at her she smiled at him.

"Just you. Always has been."

Was that a roar? She was almost certain of it. Suddenly she felt her body being lifted, wrapping her legs around his waist, she clung to him.

Lips met. Soft at first, gentle. Then she licked his lips and felt his control dissipate. Feeling his desire against her, some of her confidence came back.

She knew she was a good lover. Dom's cheating had to do with Dom, not her. Even so, she was anxious to make his wait worthwhile.

Wrapping her arms around his neck she kissed him back, slipping her tongue into his mouth she fought his for control.

Smiling against his mouth she released the kiss and teased his lips with small pecks.

Their eyes met. God, she loved him.

Suddenly the cold hit her and she began to shiver. Even the heat of his body couldn't ward of the chill seeping into her. Her hair was a mass of wet curls and was clinging to her back.

As if he read her mind her stepped back still carrying her. She knew what he wanted.

"Letty..."

He was waiting for her go. The sentiment meant so much.

Placing a small kiss on his lips she whispered to him.

"Down the hall, last door on the right."

_Dom_

Holding her. Just holding her was driving him insane with arousal. If she had turned him down he would have gone mad.

When she had pulled away, he thought all was lost. He had come so close, but then she had admitted to him that she had been his.

Leaving him, yes, but not giving up on them. He lost it then.

Grabbing her waist he picked her up and pulled him against him. God he wanted her. Naked and spread out before him. Groaning into her kiss, he felt her shiver.

The rain hadn't eased and he felt the cold finally. He wanted her, but he had to be sure.

"Letty..."

Looking at her, her eyes were searching his and then she kissed him. Softly and he held his breath.

"Down the hall, last door on the right."

And there it was. Not hesitating he turned and headed out of the living room. He barely made it her lips were doing something incredible to his ear, as he tried to maneuver the room.

This was it, no matter what he had to do, she wasn't getting away from him again.

_Letty_

When he started to move she began nibbling on his ear. His step faltered and she smiled. She was driving him crazy and it felt good. Powerful.

They had crossed the living room and she took small bites out of his neck. Ahh..it was definitely a growl she heard then. Her hands cradled his head and she kissed him again, softly on the lips. He stopped.

"I love you Dom."

The words were true, they had come from her heart.

"God, Letty, I love you. Just you."

Kissing again, she felt tears slipping down her cheeks. He must have felt them on his face because he pulled away.

Big thumbs traced the paths her tears took, she couldn't look at him then. It was too much, feelings were overwhelming her.

Soft kisses dried her tears and she hugged herself him.

"Please, Dom I want you."

P.S.: Just a warning...Remember that R rating I think the next chappy will earn that. ;)


	10. My Love

A/N: hey there! Sorry for the delay. Work sucks. Ok, a special thanks to pips24 for the great reviews. I hope you guys are enjoying. Well a warning, the next chappy is pretty graphic! Please review, and as usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Dom_

Words had failed him. She loved him still. Just him.

Desire was overpowering him. God, how he wanted her. It had been so long.

Stumbling into her bedroom he deposited her on the bed, none too gracefully. Not wanting to release her lips he fell on top of her.

"Uggg..."

He heard her moan against his lips and smiled down at her.

Sorry."

Their eyes met, and what he saw there humbled him. Love and desire. There had been so much time passed. He'd never thought he'd get to see that look again.

"Letty..."

Kissing neck he moaned her name.

"Letty..."

Arching her back towards him was his cue to peel off her top. Doing so quickly he grabbed her breasts, kissing between them.

_Letty_

Feeling his rough hands on her had re-awoken nerves she had almost forgotten existed. Eager to feel him bare, she peeled his shirt off. Feeling his skin next to hers and it was hard to remember when they'd been closer.

"Ahhh..."

He'd bitten her nipple thru the lace and her muscles clenched in response.

Not one to be outdone she ran her hands up his spine, lips attcking his shoulder.

She'd left a mark for sure.

Hooking one leg around his she pressed him into her. God, he was hard, and there were too many clothes between them.

Hearing her name over and over was driving her wild. Dom, only Dom could do this to her, and he was here. If this was a dream she wanted to stay asleep.

Another bite to her breast and she knew this was no dream.

_Dom_

As much as he wanted to go slow, make this last, the urge to devour her was too strong.

There would be time later to go slow. To lick her every nerve.

The image grew him to an uncomfortable state of desire.

Tugging at her bra he used a skill perfected on her to unhook it one handed. More muscled defined her arms and back, but her breasts were still so soft.

Full enough to cup in his fist he did, teasing each nipple with his tongue.

Dom...Please..."

Her arms were clutching at his back, her legs wrapped around his. How had he ever imagined anyone else could do this to him. Make him feel so much.

Knowing what it did to her when he teased her breasts. She'd make that little noise. Kneading each one he got the response he was after. Then kissing his way down her belly he still plucked the rosy tips as he went.

All of this had been his, what a fucking fool he had been. Reluctantly he let go, and unzipped her pants.

In one swift motion he had her and thong off.

The scent of her arousal filled her senses and she parted her legs again for him.

Once again their eyes met and he smiled.

_Letty_

Smiling at her, just smiling at her was making her wet. Wetter now than she could ever remember being. Her fingers wrapped then in the sheets.

Strong hands gripped her thighs and drew them up to his mouth.

"Oh, God..."

With the second flick of his tongue on her clit she came. Caught off guard it ripped through her.

"Ahhhh..."

Too much, too intense. She tried to close her legs, but he held firm.

Not even a beat later he was at her again, kissing and sucking her clit, even as her first orgasm abated. She knew he wouldn't stop until she'd cum again.

With nothing for her hands to do she grabbed at his head. Back arched she prayed for this never to stop.

As he slipped one finger inside her, then two she it built. A hand had snaked up and was fondling her breast.

God, it was too much. Her legs had fallen open unable to support their own weight, as his tongue slipped in with his fingers.

Looking up at the ceiling, eyes unable to focus. She felt tears slip down her cheeks. It was overwhelming.

_Dom_

Fighting for control he pushed his fingers deep inside her. Wanting to make her cum again, harder, faster.

Biting at her clit and pinching her tender nipple did it just right.

"Shit!..."

Only his Letty would cuss in bed.

Kissing the inside of her thighs he watched her face as she flowed in the orgasm. Stripping out of his pants and boots he grabbed her legs again.

"Letty..."

Was that his voice? Dry and strained with want.

Guiding himself to her warmth he felt her arms wrap around him. He didn't think he'd ever been harder. She arhed up just then, the head of his cock pressing into her.

_Letty_

What was he waiting for? Looking at him, she saw his eyes were closed. He seemed to be concentrating hard on something.

"Dom..."

Whispers were all she could muster now. But he'd heard her. Looking down at her he smiled. She smiled back and reached for him.

With a thrust then he was in.

"Oh, God...Letty."

He rested his fore head against hers. Breathing steadily their hearts were pounding between them.

Opening her legs further she cupped that firm ass she loved.

Their lips met then and he began to move. Slowly in and out. Her body was tighter now, she knew that. Just feeling him fill her was turning her on again.

Letting him dictate the pace, the strokes, her fingers pressed into his flesh and their tongues battled.

When his pace increased she bit on his ear. Gripping her knees allowed him more depth, and she thought she'd split in two.

Unable to concentrate she felt him sucking, no biting on her neck.

Then he stopped, planted her hands and like a man possessed thrust over and over, until he came with a roar.


	11. For You

A/N: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. Found some great pictures of my Letty and it's driving my muse crazy. Please review! As usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Dom_

Collapsing on her simply because he hadn't the strength not too. He too cussed into her hair.

"Fuck me."

Snickering she replied in his ear.

"I thought I just did."

Not wanting to let her go just yet, he settled his massive weight atop of her. His head cradled between her breasts. Her smooth legs were still wrapped around him.

"Yeah, baby girl, you did."

Her hands were drawing circles on his back. If they stayed like this forever he'd never regret a moment.

His finger were absently playing with her still damp curls.

Rain was still pouring outside.

"I guess I'm stuck here."

Her fingers paused on his back.

"You know I walked over here. You wouldn't want anything to happen to me out there. With the floods comin' and all."

Opening his eyes he stared at a smudge on the wall. Must have been left by Boots. The breath he had been holding, until she spoke, came out slowly across her skin.

_Letty_

Stay here tonight, of course. She'd just assumed, but then he'd asked, in his own way, for permission.

"No, I wouldn't."

Placing a kiss on his head she continued her exploration of his back.

There had been a time she'd known every curve. Witnessed new rips taking place out on his bench. Now though there were more muscles under soft skin. New lines to learn.

In silence she held him trying to remember what she'd been doing only an hour ago. Before the doorbell, before the storm. Not recalling a thing she smiled at the ceiling. Her silent prayers had been answered.

Late at night under the covers she prayed he'd come. Fight for her love. Remind her, as only he could, who she could be as a woman. There could be no one else for her.

In the distance Boots had begun to bark. Shit, they'd left the glass door open. Realizing she'd have to get up. She sighed.

"What's up."

The rumble of his voice carried thru her, his face pressed into her chest.

"We left the door open. Boots has probably run wild out there."

_Dom_

Picking his head up he looked at her, she was smiling shyly at him.

"So beautiful."

Was that a blush? She should have heard it every day. And she would.

Forcing his muscles into action he began untangling himself from her body. But not before nibbling just once at the soft curve under her breast.

Her gasp made him smile as he pulled her into a sitting position. Rising he slipped on his jeans, not bothering with the boxers. An eyebrow rose when she slipped on her pink thong and his tee. He supposed he'd go without that too.

Pulling her off the bed, he caught her in his arms and stole a kiss.

"So very beautiful," he whispered into her ear, then kissed behind it.

She squirmed and slipped out of his grasp. Her ears had always been a sensitive area.

Following at a leisurely pace he glanced around her bedroom, liking what he saw. More blues and whites. Carefully picked pieces of what he assumed was antique furniture. But most importantly an enormous bed.

Heading into the living room he watched her shut and lock the door.

"Lucky he didn't get out."

_Letty_

Looking up almost stunned to still see him here. A jolt of lust ripped through her. What a picture he made, bare feet and chest.

"Yeah, he's not crazy about storms."

Rubbing down his belly she could feel his eyes on her and it made her blush.

"You want a drink? I could get you a sandwich if you want."

"Sure."

Rising she smiled as he extended his hand to her and she led him into the kitchen.

Rather than take a seat at the counter or at the breakfast table by the window, Dom clung to her as she tried to get to the fridge.

Slipping his big hands under the shirt she wore he spread his palms over her abs. She reached for the beer and almost dropped them when he kissed th growing hickey on her neck.

When had he ever been this affectionate? She supposed she could get used to it. Smiling she put the dangerous bottles down and reached for the deli meat she bought for lunch yesterday.

"Hungry?"

"Mmhm..."

_Dom_

Nibbling on her neck he nodded. Actually he was starving, for her, for lunch, for information. He wanted to know this Letty he held. Find out what she had done all this time.

But first he needed food and a kiss. Turning her suddenly, he ignored her yelp of surprise. Disregarded the cold plastic on his chest. He had to taste her, know again she was here.

Catching her off guard he was able to plunge his tongue into her open mouth. His hands slipped up her back and cupped her shoulder blades.

This was where he belonged. There was no other place for him. Pulling apart he looked down at the meat between them, then at the hazy look in her eyes.

"So am I gonna get that sandwich or not?"

_Letty_

Snorting, she pushed away from him, the sound of his laugh gave her pause. It filled her heart and echoed off the walls. Gathering herself she tried to picture going back to the life she'd been living up until a while ago.

Having him here, in the home she loved felt so right. Could she bare it if he left for good?

_Dom_

Watching her profile as she moved competently thru the sandwich making steps. Her gaze turned inward, what was thinking of that had driven the smile from the eyes?

Stepping up he wrapped his big arms around her and rested his chin on her right shoulder.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

This wasn't good. He wanted to know, but he couldn't push so hard this time.

"I want to know Letty. Tell me what you're thinking."

Kissing her temple he whispered, "Please."


	12. My Life

A/N: Quick update, huh? Well I've got a lot of pages stored on my laptop, went a little crazy with writing the other night. Special thanks to my hubby for the car info. Please let me know what you think of OMC, and reviews are a must! As usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Letty_

Closing her eyes she leaned back in his embrace. Strong enough to hold her or break her. He had always held that power over her.

Things were different now. They were not the same people they had been. She knew it in her gut.

Did he deserve another chance? Another chance to hold her trust and not break it. She had always gone with her gut before, so she spoke.

"I was just imagining you not here, is all."

She took his silence as a prompt to continue.

"Having you here, it changes so much. I just don't want to let it go yet."

_Dom_

Straining to hear the last of what she'd said he felt the weight lifting off his heart.

So she was worried he was going to leave. Everything he wanted was here.

"There's nothing for you to imagine Letty girl."

Turning her in his arms he pressed her against the counter, kissing her cheeks as he did.

"I searched every day for you. Paid fuckers to find you. Every breath in me was reaching for you."

Were those tears?

"I found you, Letty. Whether you want me or not. I'm not going anywhere. There is no place else for me, but with you."

Pulling her against him he wrapped her in his arms. Face pressed in her hair, he breathed in. She smelled like the ocean.

Having buried her face into his neck he felt tears on his skin.

"Letty, I told Brian once that I lived my life a quarter mile at a time. That the only time I was free, really free was for those ten seconds."

Would she understand?

"After you left and I finally raced again I had lost that feeling, that freedom. It wasn't the race that set me free. It was finding you at the finish line, in the crowds, that proud smile on your face."

Squeezing a little harder he continued.

"I didn't understand before, but I do now. I'm sorry, baby, so sorry."

_Letty_

Tears were falling and she couldn't stop them. To hear those words, it was overwhelming her. Her heart felt as though it could finally beat properly.

He understood. Finally understood what her love could mean. There is no way to make someone understand that. Leaving had taught him a lesson she'd not been able to teach all the time they'd been together.

"God, Dom I didn't want to leave, but I had too. It was killing me you know. The lies, the shame. It hurt so much. So much.

Crushed against him as she was she didn't know if he had even heard her.

"Give me a chance , Let. A chance to make up for all the pain I caused. You done good here girl. I'm so proud of you."

Somebody upstairs must like her, only that could explain it. Kissing him she tried to pour everything she had no words for into it.

_Dom_

Thank God. Her kiss, so much more than just a kiss, said everything he needed to know. He had another chance, he wasn't going to screw it up this time. Sure, he wasn't perfect, but he could be tenacious when he wanted something. And damn if he didn't want her.

Pulling back he looked down at her. Pushing a stray hair away, he kissed her fore head. Wiping at her tears he smiled at her.

"You sit I'll finish these."

_Letty_

Giving her a chance to recover she gratefully took a seat. Crying sucked. Wiping at the last of her tears, she watched him as he confidently finished at the counter.

Pulling a big drink of her open Corona, she patted Boots when he rubbed against her leg. Feeling sure she had a voice, she spoke.

"Mia got you pulling shifts now? You look pretty sure of yourself there."

His laughter was still unsettling, but it made her smile. Thunder rumbled overhead as he turned with two plates in his hand.

"Eating here?"

Thinking, she shook her head no.

'Let's go in the living room. I'll build a fire."

Grabbing his drink she made it to the entry just as he did. Bumping into each other, she laughed. Juggling the plates he managed not to drop them.

"You first."

Raising his long arms, she walked under the plates and made her way to the fireplace. Having someone in her space was going to take some getting used to.

Walking to the fireplace she concentrated on building a fire. Tossing in the logs and primer paper she grabbed a longs match from the mantle and lit it.

Dom was sitting on the sofa, having already devoured half his sandwich. She sat next to him and realized just how hungry she was. Picking up her plate they ate in comfortable silence.

_Dom_

Watching the fire and sipping his beer, he thought about all the nights beer he'd drunk alone. Wondering, wishing.

From the window he could see waves crashing on the beach.

"It's peaceful here."

He saw her eyes follow his.

"Yeah, it's why I picked it. The ocean, it's soothing you know."

Silent again he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and stroked her arm slowly. Sunday night was fading fast. Tomorrow would be here soon.

"You gotta work tomorrow?"

"I have a morning shift at the diner. But I think Carlotta knew something was up, so she probably called in Javier."

It was still amazing that she worked in a kitchen.

"Hard to imagine you working in a real kitchen."

Her laughter was deep and warm and he pulled her just a little closer to him.

"Yeah, it wasn't easy, but I learned. Then I head to the school."

School. The place that had lead him here.

_Letty_

There was a lot she wanted to share and he was interested. Really listening. She had questions too. About the team, his time away from her. But they were going slow.

"You a teacher now?"

Smiling she curled up in his arm resting her head on his chest.

"Something like that. I had been here a few months, working at the diner when I met Cobb."

_Letty Flashback_

Another hectic day in the kitchen and all she wanted was a beer and a bath. Sitting in one of the booths she bit into the sub Carlotta had whipped up for her.

Across from her an enormous man. His skin was dark and weathered. Like old leather. He caught her eye and smiled big.

"Nice day."

"Yeah."

He seemed nice enough. Some of the old pervs were always cracking some comment at her until Carlotta shooed them out.

"Carlotta makes the best quesadillas."

"That she does."

Glancing out the window she saw a beautiful '69 Impala out front. Someone loved that beast.

"You like cars?"

He must have seen her appraising the car and she looked over at him.

"Yeah."

"That's my baby. Did all the restoration myself. Well me and the boys. You a mechanic?"

Was she a mechanic. With every breath she took she was.

"That I am."

They ate in silence, but her eyes kept going back to that car. Her fingers ached to flip up the hood.

"Name's Cobb."

Looking up she saw he had been studying her. What the hell.

"Letty."

"Nice to meet you Letty."

"You too, Cobb."

Finished she rose, it felt weird to introduce herself. For so long the people she knew she had always known. Introductions hadn't been necessary. Putting the plate in the bin for Javier to wash later she headed to the door.

"See you tomorrow Lotta."

Cobb was already outside, having finished and paid for his lunch. He was waiting for her it seemed.

"Cars are like women. You get a taste and you're hooked."

Smiling at the image she laughed.

"Yeah, I get that."

"Well if you ever want another taste you come here. I own a shop on the West side, but I volunteer 3 days a week at Henry."

Henry? What the hell was that? Her confusion must have showed.

"Local high school. Damn board cut funding for paid teachers. My boys went there and loved that class. We could also use an extra pair of hands."

Had he seen something in her? Did he know how lost she was?

"Maybe I'll do that."

"Good. That's good."

As she waved goodbye she knew she'd go. It had been to long. Oil and metal, it was in her blood. A garage wouldn't work. Too many memories. But a school, she could do that. Although she'd never admit it out loud she'd loved school.

Turning she headed home, her step lighter than she had in weeks.


	13. Take it Back

A/N: Big chappy here. A lot of emotions coming up and be warned explicit Dom/Letty lovin' is upcoming. Can't help it. They are too hot together for me to contain myself. As usual I own nothing and mean no harm. Take a sec and review, it means so much.

_Dom_

Listening to her memories, he was glad she'd found this Cobb. He'd brought her back to what she loved. Cars were as much a part of her as they were of him.

"We do restoration and modifications. They learn and people get free detailing."

"Sounds like a fair exchange."

Sitting up she stretched and smiled over her shoulder.

"Gotta pee."

Watching her walk away he rose. Walking to the window, he patted Boots who had come up to him. A million thoughts were rushing through his head. Deep breaths calmed him, slow, go slow.

Arms snaked around his waist. He held her hands as they met.

"Dominic."

Hearing his given name startled him. Whispered into his back, it was a prayer. She was his salvation, the enormity of it rocked him.

"I love you Letty."

Feeling her kiss on his back sent a bolt of lust through him. Thinking of his earlier fantasy he turned and picked her up.

Kissing her mouth, the hint of beer on her breath, he walked her back to the fire. Lowering her to the carpet he released her lips for her neck. His hands worked off her thong, then peeled off her shirt.

_Letty_

My God, her body was on fire. How could he be kissing her everywhere? Lips and hands were covering her body, already wet with desire, all she could do was lay there and moan.

Yes, she was moaning. A kiss at her neck, one at her shoulder and she moaned. Fingers pinched her nipple and flicked her clit and she moaned. It was torture, he was killing her. And God if she wouldn't die happy.

"Dom...Oh Shit."

He was licking her abs. Swirling his tongue in her belly button. Thumbs pressed into her hips she yanked her to him. Let her feel his hardness through his pants. She rolled her hips against him and heard him moan against the breast he was teasing. She needed it, wanted to cum so bad. Rocking harder against him, her clit was rubbing obscenely against the rough material.

His hands were buried in her hair pulling her mouth towards his as she rode herself to heaven. He was wonderful, letting her do as she pleased. That was the last coherent thought she had before she exploded.

"Ahhh...Dom."

_Dom_

Kissing her temple he let her enjoy it, reigning in his desire. He wasn't done with her yet. Flipping her onto her stomach he admired her naked back. Tossing her hair over her shoulder she looked back over at him. He almost came then, the wanton look in her eye had nearly undone him.

Palms flat on her back he ran them all over her mocha skin. From shoulders to calves he stroked. All his. Possession was a turn on, he knew that. But this was more, so much more. Resting his hands on her ass, he squeezed, than smacked playfully.

"Hey!"

Lowering his head he kissed each globe softly. Licking the small of her back he draped himself over her and caught her lips in a kiss. He wasn't going to last much longer, he wanted to be inside of her.

Letting her lips go, it was as thought she'd read his mind. Turning and popping open the buttons of his fly, she smiled sweetly at him. He was on his knees looking down at her.

She slipped the material over his hips and cuppped his ass. Would she? Could she? As though God heard him, he felt her wrap her hands around his cock and rub.

"Letty."

When her lips kissed the tip of his head, he'd thought he'd died.

_Letty_

The power to humble a man with a kiss was a heady thing. High from her orgasm and the power she saw she still had over him, she enveloped his cock with her mouth. Many girls wouldn't do this. She couldn't see herself doing this with anyone else. But it did turn her on. Hearing him gasp and moan when she licked and sucked up and down. When his hands buried in her hair and he moaned, almost in pain, she took pity and downed him.

"Shit!..."

Before she knew what was happening he had pulled back and she was on her back. Their eyes met and she saw the hunger there, for her. Like a man possessed he dove for her mouth and plunged inside of her.

So hard, so fast, he worked her body. Wrapping her arms around his neck, and slid her bent knees up his side she met him thrust for thrust. Moving just so rubbed her nipples against his chest, and she felt that deep feeling growing. That special growth that very lucky women felt.

"Don't stop...please don't."

Begging him to hold on, just a little longer she clutched harder and pushed up hard and fast and then it happened. She saw stars and gasped his name into his neck. Even as her body was drifting, she felt him tense and slam into her, cumming hard into her.

When he collapsed on top of her she grunted. He still weighed a ton. He must have gotten the message because he rolled them over and she nestled on top of him.

Sweat coated them both. Sex was a wonderful, but messy activity.

"How bout a shower?"

_Dom_

Struggling to find his voice, he answered.

"Hell yeah."

"Wear you out?"

Smiling he kissed her hair.

"You are an amazing woman, Letty girl."

They laid there together. The fire crackled and the rain fell. Was she asleep? Was he? It was the dog that finally got them moving.

"Damn Boots get off."

Her scratchy voice got him moving. Sitting slowly, she was still in his lap, he brushed her hair back.

"I had almost lost hope. I didn't think I'd ever get you back. Never get another chance to hold you, to tell you how much I loved you."

_Dom Flashback_

Racing to the garage he felt the rage flowing through him. She left him, no one left him. Pulling up to the garage he made no note of Leon following him, yelling for him. Running through the place they'd grown up in, he made his way to the shed.

Yanking open the door he saw a tarp covering a car. There hadn't been a car stored in here for years. Leon stood as his right, stunned. Grabbing the cloth he yanked it off.

"Fuck."

Le had put into words what he couldn't. It was her Silvia.

Darkness was filling him. She was gone, really gone. Only with a broken heart could she have left her car. And she wouldn't have left her car if she hadn't really left.

With a roar he grabbed a pipe that was laying on the floor, he wanted to smash it. Break the glass, rip off the doors. They'd built that car together. Made love in it. And she'd just left it. His arm wasn't moving something was holding him back.

Leon had his arm in a vice grip. He couldn't hear what he was saying, there was a loud ringing in his ears. All he could hear was his anger. Just then Vince crashed into the room and grabbed him about the waist.

"Get OFF!"

"Come on man."

"Get the fuck off me!"

"Leave it Dom. It's hers. You can't"

They were pulling him out of the shed. Away from her car. Away from her.

"Letty!"

With a strength almost unhuman he got free and headed into the garage. Grabbing the first piece of metal he could, he let go of what was inside. Vince and Leon could only watch as he smashed his way around the garage. They knew better than to intervene.

Panting he dropped whatever he was holding, not seeing the destruction around him or hearing the voices calling to him. Letty. His Letty was gone. She'd left him. He'd fucked up one too many times. And she'd left. Anger and pain welled up and settled like a new organ in his chest.

He couldn't breathe. If he could just catch a breath he could think. The walls of the garage were closing in on him. Walking almost calmly to his car he got in and peeled away.


	14. Beach

A/N: Sorry for the wait for updates. Life has been cutting into my writing. I hope anyone who reads leaves a review. It doesn't take long and it means a lot. Any one know of any good F&tF web sites. I'm at a loss for quality links. Well I hope you enjoy and as usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Letty_

Even after all this she found it impossible that she could still cry. That there were tears left in her. But she was, she did. He hadn't gotten drunk or fucked some skank, he'd gone to Jesse. Rubbing away the tears, she found his hands and held them. Deep down he was a good man. She had known that from the first day she'd met him. He just got caught up in the bullshit.

"I miss him. I miss all of them."

"They miss you too."

She was getting sleepy.

"I'm gonna have to call Mia in the morning. I haven't called her all week."

Awake again she rolled over and faced him.

"Do you think they'd come here?"

_Dom_

How could she even doubt that? Laughing her pulled her up until they were face to face.

"Letty, get ready for an invasion."

Her face lit up with the most incredible smile. There was so much she had to catch up on, with Mia and Le's project. But those were their stories.

"Are you ready for that?"

He felt her fingers on his head and closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling.

"Yeah, I need to see them. We can barbeque tomorrow."

Tomorrow. So soon. It was selfish of him, but he didn't want to share her yet. Looking again at her smile, it reminded him of what his selfishness had caused.

"I'll tell Mia to bring her special sauce."

Laughter filled the room. She had dropped her head onto his chest, so he played with her still damp hair. Lying here, holding her, he was more relaxed then he could ever remember. Her bed was unbelievably comfortable.

Sleep was creeping in on him. Trying to fight it was hard, but he wasn't ready for this night to end.

"Dom, I'm glad you're here."

"Me, too, baby."

Kissing the top of her head, he stopped fighting. Finally stopped fighting.

_Letty_

Falling asleep on his chest, she awoke once during the night. Dom's hands were traveling all over her body. Through a haze of sleep they had made love.

Awake fully now, she glanced over at the clock on the night stand. 6:15am. She'd overslept. First time that had happened in months. Looking over she smiled at what she saw. Dom was asleep on his stomach, snoring lightly, an arm thrown over her chest.

Wow. That was the only word that came to mind. Lame, true, but appropriate. He was here and she was awed at the beauty of him. A beautiful creature, that was Dominic Toretto.

Outside the door Boots was roaming the hallway. it was time for their run, time for a new day. Slipping his arm off of her, careful not to wake him, she eased out of bed. It felt weird to have to be quiet, she could normally make or as much noise as she wanted. No one but her had ever slept over in this house.

She slipped on a white bikini, she found in the bathroom, her most comfortable running shorts. Back in the bedroom she stopped and looked at him sleeping. Nothing sounded better than crawling back under the covers, but she did this every day. Running had kinda become her thing, and she had to do it.

Leaning down she kissed his cheek. Her hair fell onto his shoulder. Was that a smile?

"Hey."

"Ugg..."

Well, he still wasn't a morning person.

"Going for a run. Sleep in."

At some point her words must have registered, because before she could pull away his hands had caught her face. Lips touch, tongues stroked and she felt the heat rise. When he pulled back, he smiled at her and fell back onto his pillow. Typical, get a girl all worked up and fall back asleep.

Standing she pulled the sheet back over him and walked into the living room. His tee caught her eye and she slipped it on. Stepping outside she breathed in deep. The rain had temporarily driven away the worst of the heat. It was a gorgeous day.

Boots was already on the beach barking and leaping at the waves. Stepping into her sneakers and pulling her hair up she stepped out onto the beach. Her beach. Knowing this was hers, she owned it was a great feeling.

Taking off towards the pier she began her three mile trek. As she set her pace she thought back to after the time had come and gone.

_Letty Flashback_

Empty. Strangely she felt empty. Expecting anger or sadness, she simply felt nothing. Slowly her senses were coming back to her. She heard the people yelling, the birds calling. Feeling the water around her legs she looked down at the waves around her. Taking a breath she wrapped her arms around her waist.

Stepping out of the water she headed back to her room. Falling onto the bed she closed her eyes. What the hell was she going to do now? All she wanted to do was sleep. Rolling over she curled into a ball. Fighting back the tears that were ready to fall, she had never felt so alone.

Sleep came and she fell into it with a heavy heart.

Darkness had fallen when she woke. Sitting up, events of the day hit her all at once and the weight of it settled on her mind. It was time to get a start. Whenever a new car had rolled into the garage, they had all gathered and outlined everything that needed to be done.

Rising, she headed to the balcony and looked out at the ocean. Time to get a handle on things. She'd need to find an apartment, something nice, but close by. Staying here seemed right, she liked the flow of the people, and the water was a plus.

Heading out for some food, she grabbed a paper off the front desk and added a couple days to her stay.

_Letty_

Reaching the halfway point she stopped and tried to catch her breath. Walking under the pier she remembered how scared she'd been. Up until that night she had never felt truly alone. Not when her Dad had died or when Leon was rolling them out of L.A.

Head down she kicked at the sand. Getting ready to go back was the hardest, that push to get going hadn't gotten easier. Today was no different even though there was something, someone waiting for her. Dom was there today, asleep in her bed. Calling for Boots she set out, mind wandering again as a harsher pace set in.

_Letty Flashback_

Circling a couple of possible places to check out she munched on her gyro and wandered down the boardwalk. People were laughing and kids were screaming. Passing by the store she had gone clothes mad she smiled at Hannah, the demon shop girl, coaxing a middle age woman into a hideous straw hat.

At least she was in the right line of work. Work, she'd need a job too. There was plenty of money hidden away. Work was just what she needed to keep her sane. One thing at a time. Leon used to say that when they all got worked up over a new project.

God how she missed them. All of them. Not hungry anymore she tossed the food and took a seat on a bench. Tonight would have been lazy, everyone would have been worn from racing and partying. Sunday nights were spent huddled on sofas in front of the t.v.

Not strong enough to stop the few tears that slipped she drew her knees up and rested her head on them. She wanted to go home, she wanted everything to be ok again. More tears fell then. Big arms would be holding her on the couch and she would forget everything then. The pain and the doubt. For that time she was the only thing that mattered.

Once the tears had fallen, her head ached and she wanted to crawl back under the covers. Grabbing her paper she quickly headed back to the room. Washing down some aspirin with tap water she stripped to her underwear and crawled under the blankets.

_Letty_

The house would be coming into view soon. Time to get the day moving. Pushing harder she heard Boots barking at her as he kept up.

_Letty Flashback_

Forgetting to close the curtains sucked. The sunlight was pouring into her room. Awake now her routine kicked in and in a half an hour she was sipping on hotel room coffee and looking at her apartment options.

Excited about the prospect of a place she dressed quickly in her new clothes and headed out.

Two hours later she was hot and frustrated. Three places had been shit and the fourth had been rented already. One more and then she would call it a day. A little pricey for a one bedroom, but she could afford it.

Making her way past the boardwalk, she was ironically on the same street she had eaten lunch at the first day. Knocking on the office door, she got her first glance at the Shore apartment complex.

Kinda small, quiet, but nothing red flagged yet. The man who opened the door seemed nice enough. Real loud and chatty.

"I'm here about the one bedroom."

"Yes, yes follow me."

She followed him through the gated entrance.

"Everyone needs a key to get in or they must be buzzed. It's this way. Second story, corner unit. Up there."

It was beautiful. The brick led them to a courtyard, a fountain sat in the center, which worked, and there were tables and benches scattered around the courtyard.

"Outer units are less expensive, but don't have the added security. They have direct street access. Interior units are more money, but they are more secure. Nicer view too."

She paused and looked at the lay out. 8 units on top and 8 on the bottom. Top units had their own staircases that led to the entrance and private balcony. Ground units had a patio instead.

"You like?"

"Yeah."

And she did. It was peaceful.

Following him up the wrought iron staircase she looked down. Birds were playing in the fountain. He paused in front of unit 3 and unlocked the door.

"Is not as big as others, but still nice."

The living room was spacious. Next came the dining room and a fairly large kitchen. A half bath in the hall was next to a small laundry. Furthest down the hall was the master bedroom and full adjoining bath. Both the kitchen and bedroom had access to the patio. In a word it was perfect.

"I'll take it."

The man lit up when she spoke and almost dropped dead when she handed over his asking price for security and first 30 days. Without question he handed her the keys and scurried off before she could change her mind.

Looking around her new home she smiled.

_Letty_

That apartment had been great. When she had bought the house she had dreaded leaving the little courtyard and stone fountain.

Stopping at her beach she walked the waves slowly, cooling her body down. It was time for coffee.


	15. Run, Walk

A/N: Hey, I'm blue..I don't anyone is reading this anymore, but I'm gonna keep posting b/c I want Letty's story out there. Please review...As usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Dom_

Rubbing his face against a soft pillow, he breathed in deep. It smelled like Letty. Letty. Jerking awake he looked around. He was in her bed, alone. Startled he sat up and blinked away the sleep. Before panic set in, he remembered.

She'd gone running. She'd kissed him and he'd fallen back asleep. Relieved, he fell back against the pillows. He hadn't slept so good in months, his body was loathe to move.

Months of that cot had wreaked horrors to his muscles some nights. Enough of that. Rising, he swung his long legs over the side and rose. Not one to be shy about his body he strode nude into the bathroom.

Borrowing her toothpaste seemed the logical choice since his was at the hotel, he used it quickly. Going then in search of his pants he found them resting by the fireplace. Slipping them on the contents of his pockets rubbed against his leg. Reaching in he pulled out his cell. Three messages from Mia. Reading through them he headed into the kitchen.

The smell of fresh coffee greeted him. Some things never change. Letty was obsessed with her morning cup, had the damn machine set up to make her a fresh pot every day.

Putting the phone down he hunted through the cabinets until he found an extra mug, then poured himself a cup.

"Damn."

She'd always made the best coffee. Yet another way he had missed her. No good coffee for eighteen months. Smiling, he grabbed his phone and headed to the deck.

Just as he was about to take a sip, he paused at the door and looked up over the rim of his cup. Frozen, he couldn't believe the sight before him. On the beach stood Letty.

Dark curls were blowing wildly around her, through them he studied her profile as she stared out over the water. He felt desire warm his belly as his eyes traveled over her dark skin and white bikini top. Hands together, she was absently picking at her thumbnail. Her long legs were outlined by the blue sarong she wore, and his breath caught when the breeze caught her skirt and she smoothed it down.

When he managed to clear the lump from his throat he remembered his phone and raised it. Taking aim, he snapped a picture. Just then Boots ran over and the moment passed.

Looking down at the photo he smiled. Thank God Leon had walked him thru this phone shit. He sent a three way text.

Found her. 3pm BBQ.

2735 Beach Way. Venice.

Bring sauce. -D

Attaching the photo file, he looked up and their eyes met. Hitting send, he slipped the phone back in his pocket and took another big drink of his coffee. Stepping out onto the deck he made his way over to the railing.

_Letty_

Stretching her arms and shoulders she made her way over to the shower and kicked off her shoes. The deck that had been here when she had bought the house was rotten and falling apart. After the master bed and bath were done, she had set to work on the deck.

Doors from the living room led to the main deck floor. Not able to resist she had an enormous grill installed on one corner of the deck. Adjacent to it was a table big enough for the whole team.

Thinking that tonight the table would be christened made her smile. Small tables and lounge chairs were scattered across the deck. Bright flowers burst up from terra cotta pots. Opposite the grill was an outdoor fire place. Many nights she had laid out with the stars and a fire. It had gotten her thru some rough spots.

Steps then led to a small deck where you could head to the water. Tied to the side was her surf board and beach umbrella. To the left of the steps, where she now stood, was an outdoor shower. Installing that made life so much easier, having a place to rinse off before going inside.

Stripping her shorts off she turned on the warm water and stepped under the spray. Peeling off the sticky tee, she rinsed away the sand and the sweat from her limbs. She had to call Carlotta soon. Then get to the store. If the team was really coming she'd need food, lots of food.

Thinking of them made her nervous. Would Mia still be to her what she had always been? What was Vince doing?

Turning off the water she grabbed a towel that had dried out on the lower railing. As she dried off her thoughts whirled again. Dom hadn't mentioned her car again. They had stopped him from, well, being Dom, but then what? Pushing the question away she focused on finding the sarong she was certain she had left out here.

Checking the deck she found it tucked into one of the lounge chairs. Hannah, the sales girl she'd met the first day, had bought it for her. She defintily would not have bought it for herself. But Han had insisted she wear it. Tying it just so, low in her hip, she made her way back down to the shore line.

The material made her feel feminine, Han said she looked great, like a real girl. Laughing at herself she thought of all the other colors that hung in her closet now. They'd become friends, not like what she had been with Mia. But still friends.

Boots was running around barking at the oncoming waves, God he never seemed to tire. She'd have to go in soon. Coffee was waiting and so was Dom. Did her heart beat speed up? Dom was here. It still felt like a dream. Yapping madly Boots ran up to her, so she patted him down and glanced at the house.

My God, there he stood. Sun shone down on his figure and she almost lost her balance. She was sure that it was shallow and wrong, but his beauty floored her sometimes. And it could be hers. Was hers.

Rising she headed to the deck, he held her gaze, and met her at the railing.

_Dom_

"Good run?"

Speaking was difficult. The image of her standing as she had been, was playing with him hard. Elbows on the rail he looked down at her.

"Yeah, it's gonna be a beautiful day."

She was looking at the water again.

"Coffee's good."

Smirking, when her head whipped back around. Ah, there had been no coffee for her yet.

"Of course."

Laughing he stepped back as she made her way up the stairs, her hands held up her skirt, so she wouldn't trip. Eyes traveled down her frame. Letty in a flowery skirt. Unreal. If he had his wish she'd wear nothing else.

"Like what you see?"

Caught, his eyes moved from her sandy toes to her now amused face.

"Hell yeah."

Putting his mug down on one of the little tables he sauntered over to her. Trapping her between his arms and the rail he nipped at her ear.

_Letty_

Struggling to keep a straight face, she kept her hands at her side. Even as her eyes closed.

"Love the skirt."

A compliment. It was so unexpected that her concentration wavered as he bit into her neck and she gasped.

"Thanks."

She gripped the rail as his bites worked over her collarbone. Damn, he smelled so good.

"Feel all girlie, though."

She could feel his smirk against her neck.

"Not girlie."

Kissing her temple muffled his words, but she got the gist of it.

"All woman."

Kissing by her lips, he looked in her eyes and pressed against her.

"My woman."

His woman. Of course. Always his.

"Yours."

Their lips met the moment the word slipped from her mouth. Fiercely, possessivley, he kissed her. She wanted him again. Here, now. Feeling him pressed against her, she could feel how much he wanted her too. Wrapping arms around him, she felt his hadns cup her ass. His fingers were hot through the material.

Just then his pocket vibrated between them and they both jumped. Separated and startled, they fought to catch their breath. She smile as she saw him struggle to get his phone out.

Seeing a chance she slipped past him and inside.

_Dom_

Fucking phone. Grabbing it he opened it, it was just a text message confirming his files had been sent and recieved.

"Fuck."

Snapping it shut he dropped it back in his pocket and rubbed his head. He tried to regain his balance. Only Letty had the power to overwhelm him. When he was with her he felt out of control, she held the control over him. It scared the shit out of him. When he was scared he would lash out, but not now. Now he would yield to her love because she loved him, and he loved her.

Where was she? Turning he saw her figure disappearing inside. What a sight. He'd always loved her ass. Grabbing his cup he followed her inside. He was ready for a refill.


	16. Cries Out

A/N: Hey guys! First off a thanks to Steph, for being my greatest cheerleader, and watching the movie just for me. A special thanks to Kat for being my best critic. This chappy goes to you both. Well, what goes up must come down. Please review and as usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Mia_

Slipping out of bed she turned off the alarm before it could wake him. She'd let him sleep a little while longer. After a quick bathroom stop, she made her way down to the kitchen.

Coffee was all she could focus on. Letty had gotten her hooked on the stuff. As confident as she was in the kitchen, no one could make coffee like Letty.

Sighing, she picked up a mug and poured herself a cup. Heaving in a generous amount of sugar, she thought about Dom and his mission. Today would be the day, at least she hoped so.

Today Dom would call and everything would be right again. From across the kitchen her phone was going off. Jumping out of her skin she shook her head, too creepy. By the ring she knew she had a text.

Who would be texting her at 7:30am on a Monday? Putting her coffee down, her curiosity had overridden her need for caffeine. Dom. It was Dom. Flipping it open she received the message.

Found her. 3pm BBQ.

2735 Beach Way. Venice.

Bring sauce. -D

Re-reading it just to be sure she felt the hope building back in her. Hitting the right arrow the image slowly materialized before her.

"Letty."

It was Letty, looking beautiful, standing by the ocean. Unable to control herself she let out a scream of happiness sure to wake the dead, if not the two men sleeping soundly.

Crashes and curses were heard both upstairs and down, but she didn't notice. She was alternating between re-reading the message and looking at the picture.

He'd actually done it. Found her. Their family would be whole again. An address in Venice. Shit, she needed a computer.

"Fuck."

Heading into the living room she was eager to Map Quest the address. Not looking she collided into a half asleep Leon.

Grabbing her by the shoulders he yelled at her.

"What's wrong?"

Sticking the phone in his face she smiled.

"He found her."

She watched his eyes focus on the image before him and let of her so he could grab the phone.

"He found her, Le!"

Ecstatic, she threw her arms around him and almost tackled him to the ground. Stomps and curses were heard on the stairs and they both turned.

"Mia! What the fuck?"

Looking over at Vince, her face lit up in a huge smile. She ran over to him and jumped into his arms.

"He found her! Dom found Letty."

"What? When?"

"Leon, show him."

Hugging him, she kissed his neck and slid out of his arms when Leon handed him the phone.

She looked between the two men. Tears were getting ready to fall. For so long her best friend had been gone, and so had a piece of her heart.

"Team Toretto will ride again!"

Vince's words said it all. She felt herself being lifted and spun as he let out a whoop of excitement. Today was going to be a great day.

"Put me down. I gotta look up the address and you two need to get cleaned up and get you know what ready."

"Shit, we gotta put that thing on and then do that other thing."

For a year and a half the three of them had spoken so often in this code, that it never occurred to them that Dom wasn't around to hear it.

She felt Vince kiss the top of her head as she slid into the chair and turned her laptop on. Absently she noted they left the room to get cleaned up. 3pm. 7 more hours. Just 7 more.

_Letty_

Making her way into the kitchen she grabbed a mug for coffee. After heaving in an ungodly amount of cream and sugar, she took a seat at the breakfast table.Who the hell would be calling him at this hour? Briefly the words "Skank Whore" flickered across her mind.

One look at his smiling face when he entered the kitchen and she dismissed the thought.

"Important call?"

His back was to her, as he was topping off his cup.

"Nah, just a confirmation that my message had been received."

Message? Ah, to the team.

"They coming?"

Her eyes followed him as he sat across from her.

"Yeah, I told them 3."

"That's good."

Silently they sipped their coffee. Thinking of something to break the suddenly tense atmosphere she put her mug down. Something was growing uncomfortable inside of her.

"Hungry? There are bagels and cereal."

"Thanks."

Rising he went rooting for breakfast. Sadness overwhelmed her then, so powerful she almost choked on it. His woman. Their earlier declarations came back to smack her in the face, of course she was. This was their chance to start fresh, to do it right.

Gripping her cup she stared out at the water. Out of nowhere the memories flooded her mind. Oh, Shit.

How could she expect him to start this new life with her if he didn't know. Guilt over not telling him had never plagued her before. Now though, it clung to her, and she dared a glance over at him.

Filling an enormous bowl with frosted flakes he was in search of a spoon. God, she couldn't do this, it just wasn't fair. The hazy mist that had clung to her since his return was evaporating, it was too much.

Rising, she took her mug and headed over to him. Placing a hand on his back she pressed a kiss to his cheek, placing her mug in the sink.

"I'll be back."

Feeling the playful smack of his hand on her behind brought a bittersweet smile to her hidden face.

Making her way back to her bedroom, she avoided looking at the bed, still rumpled from last night. Shame filled her. Almost 24 hours had passed since she'd thought of it. How could that have happened? How could his appearance make her forget?

Once in the bathroom she ran some cold water in the sink. Splashing a handful on her face, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Shocked by her pale face and wild eyes, she gripped the sink.

"Fuck."

Eyes closed, she wrapped her arms around her waist.

"What am I going to do?"

Whispered to herself, the question voiced her deepest fear. She didn't know what to do. If she told him, she would lose him. She knew that. How could he forgive her? Opening her eyes she searched what she saw there. Could she live with the knowledge? Let sleeping dogs lie was the old adage. Would that work again? But then again it hadn't worked the first time. Why did her brain do this to her? Everything had been perfect and now, complete chaos.

The walls were closing in on her. Stepping back, she knew she had to get out. Just be alone, clear her head. Slipping on some sandals and grabbing a white tank she made for the kitchen.

"Hey, you ok?"

Forcing a smile, she avoided his concerned look.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go get some supplies. I don't have nearly enough grub for Vince and Leon."

His low laugh warmed her to the core. Thinking of the afternoon guests brought a small smile to her lips.

"Hang on and I'll go with."

Panic set in and she took a deep breath.

"I'll be fine. You eat your breakfast, take Boots for a swim. I'll be back in a few."

Feeling his hands on her waist, she felt tears forming behind her closed eyes.

"You sure?"

Would he give her this?

"Yeah."

Silence. His head descended on her shoulder and she felt nauseous.

"Ok, don't be long."

Relief flooded through her. Willingly she let herself be turned around in his embrace. Meeting his kiss, she tasted love and sugar on his lips, it left a sour taste in her mouth. Why couldn't it have lasted just a bit longer? She deserved some small taste of happiness again, didn't she?

"I'll be back before you know it."

Letting go of his waist she smiled at him before heading for the door. Fighting the impulse to run, she took each step one at a time.

"Hey!"

Freezing her hands curled into fists at her side and she forced herself to turn.

"I love you Letty."

God, it was unfair. Damn her stupid brain. There was a hitch in his voice. Did he know? Did he suspect? Insecurities were overpowering rational thought.

"I love you too Dom."

Meeting his eyes she hoped he couldn't see what was there. She needed to think things through. Turning back she grabbed her wallet and cell from the small table by the front door and left without another look back.


	17. Someday

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay. This chappy was a hard one. I hope you like. As I always I own nothing and mean no harm, please review it means a lot.

_Letty_

The sound of the slamming door behind her made her jump. God, what must he be thinking? Hands clenched she concentrated on each step that moved her forward. Running again girl?

"Shut up."

Mumbling to herself she crossed her yard and quickly crossed the street. Everything had been good. They could have stayed that way, but her damn brain had fucked things up.

Weaving through the thickening crowds, she imagined what he would say. Eyes closed against his probable reaction, she almost missed her turn. What she had imagined had been ugly, very ugly.

He'd be angry, so angry that she had kept it a secret for so long. Shit, it was going to be bad. Hanging a left she made her way slowly down the two blocks to the grocery store. Why hadn't she told him?

Pausing in front of the entrance she began to pace rather than go in. At first she hadn't told because she wanted to protect him. Tomorrow, she'd always figure she could tell him tomorrow. They had been so close during the first month after everything fell apart.

Dropping onto a bench, she stared down at her hands. When they had gotten back to L.A. it had been so easy to fall into the old routines, and effectively bury the past. Then all the old routines had picked up and she lost that renewed connection with him.

Truth was, she blamed herself, and so would he. Pain welled up in her chest so fiercely she almost gagged. She couldn't do this. Reaching for something, anything to keep thins straight in her head, she saw her phone resting in her hand.

Blinking away the pain, she hit the numbers and felt some of the tension drain away as the ringing began.

_Dom_

Boots was pushing at his ankles, sniffing around at the place where she had just stood. Blinking back into the present he replayed what had just happened.

Closing his eyes he struggled not to run after her. Drag her back inside and hold her tight. Something had spooked her. Fear bubbled up in his chest. Would she come back?

"Fuck."

Leaning down to pat the furry head at his knee, he pushed the doubts aside.

"She'll be back, boy. I know it."

Rising he headed back into the kitchen to finish his meal. Looking out over the waves, he felt the water calling to him. Figuring he'd take her up on her suggestion of a swim, he ate quickly and rinsed his bowl.

None of the clothes he'd brought were here, but he hadn't packed any trunks in his rush to get here. Boxers would have to do. Going in search of them, he found them tangled in the sheets.

Changing quickly he called to Boots and headed outside. Sunshine warmed him as he stretched his long arms. He'd never thought of himself as a beach person, but this was nice. No crowds, no umbrellas, just the sand and sun.

Heading down to the shoreline he wondered for a moment how she was.

"Please come back Letty girl."

Whispering his fear to the waves , he felt some of the apprehension fade. With a smile to Boots he dove into the water.

_Letty_

"Hey it's me."

"Um..I know you're probably at class, but I just...I just needed to.."

Rolling her eyes she shook her head in frustration.

"I don't know what I needed, but so you know, he found me."

Words were rushing out, so she took a deep breath and tried to focus.

"Yesterday. He just showed up and...well...things went good."

Smiling at the memory of those hours, she absently picked at her hair.

"Shit, he loves me. Really loves me. Wants it good again.

As she began to pace the reality of her statement hit her.

"So do I, with all my heart I want it to be right."

"Then it hit me."

Cold suddenly she wrapped her arms around herself. Then a loud beep in her ear had her jumping in the air. The machine had cut her off.

"Shit!"

Hitting redial she calmed herself by resuming her methodical pairing.

"Yeah, hey, I got cut off."

"Sorry. Look, I have to tell him."

Pausing she tried to fight back the tears and focused on the street before her.

"I understand now that I have to tell him if I want it to truly be right between us. It's fair, you know."

Picking at the paint on the bench before her, she finally admitted what she didn't want to face.

"He's gonna hate me. God, I know he is. Hate that I never told him. That I let it happen."

The last of her words were barely a whisper. That annoying beep cut her off again, but she was prepared, her finger having been resting on redial.

"I know you'd say it wasn't my fault. Things just happen and all that. But it is my fault, I should have known."

Feeling the memories begin to overwhelm her she shook them away.

"I'm gonna wrap this up now, the gang is gonna come over tonight."

Smiling, she wiped at a tear that had snuck past her defenses.

"I just need tonight."

Shoulders set, her mind was as ease.

"Tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm gonna tell him."

God, but the confidence in her voice was misleading.

"One more day of selfishness won't matter. I'm already damned."

Tonight would be theirs, even if it was their last, she'd enjoy every minute of it.

"Our someday is coming soon right?"

They'd been promising that for a year.

"Someday."

Snapping her phone shut, lost in her thoughts, she sat absently on the bench. So there it was. A plan. Tonight, today would be hers, but with the dawn she would finally let it go.

Rising, she strode in the store, mentally preparing her menu for the upcoming day.

A/N: Just bare with me on this short chapter, I should have another one posted soon, but it was crucial for this call to be made. All will be revealed in time. ;)


	18. With a Sigh

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful support to all my reviewers. Jada, Pips, Kat, and Sweetest have been pushing me since the beginning and I am grateful for their kind words. This chappy was a needed break from the tension. Just a little fluff until the gang makes an appearance and the hard questions are posed. As usual I own nothing and mean no harm. Please review I need the smiles they bring.

_Dom_

Leaving the waves behind he could feel energy pumping through him. On his way inside to clean up, something caught his eye. Walking over to what looked like an outdoor shower he smiled in amazement.

Running his hand over the smooth wood, he reached in and turned on the hot water. Stepping in he noticed a white puddle at his feet. Picking it up he recognized it at his white shirt.

Searching for a towel he found one strewn across a railing. It was still damp, catching a scent, he smiled. Her scent was all over it.

On his way back to the bedroom for pants he heard the door open and slam shut.

"Hey, I'm back."

Such wonderful words had never been spoken. Dressing quickly, he had managed to find his boots hidden under the bed, he made his way to the living room to meet her. His eyebrows raised slightly at the lack of bags with her.

"Hey."

_Letty_

Seeing him there, smiling at her, she thought for a second that maybe everything would be alright. Feeling herself being wrapped in big arms, she let his kiss roll through her.

"Get what you need?"

His whispered words held a loaded question. She could only nod.

"The food should get here around 1pm."

"I wondered about that."

"Too much for me to carry."

"Get enough beer?"

Laughing she patted Boots who'd come over.

"Hope so. Have fun?"

"Yeah, got in a swim. Enjoyed the shower outside. You got a great set up here Letty girl."

Feeling a shy smile creep across her face she looked up into his proud face.

"Thanks."

_Dom_

Feeling the air thicken, he couldn't help but feel there was still something not right.

"Listen I need to go get some fresh clothes. You wanna come with?"

Running a hand over the mess of curls forming in her hair he wondered why he was so worried that she'd say no.

"Sure."

Relieved, he kissed her forehead.

"Good. Ready?"

"Yeah, You?"

Winking at her he answered."

"Always."

_Letty_

Rolling her eyes she turned around and headed for the door. The rumble of his laughter followed her down the hallway. Stopping once again to collect her wallet, she noted his eyes on her.

Slipping a key into the billfold of her wallet she struggled to ignore the way he was staring at her. God, did he know?

Taking a step towards the door, she was unable to resist. Spinning around she collided into him.

"What!"

"What. What?"

Not amused by his puzzled expression she pointed at herself.

"What are you staring at?"

Was that laughter? He had the nerve to laugh at her. When she tried to back up, he grabbed her wrists and pulled her against him.

"I am just a man, staring at a beautiful woman. I'm only human Let."

Rolling her eyes against his smile, she flattened her palms on his chest.

"Beautiful, huh?"

"Gorgeous. I like this."

Puzzled now, she met his gaze.

"This, what?"

She felt a kiss press into the top of her head.

"Seeing you smile, seeing you happy. And I love, truly love, the way your ass looks in that skirt."

Her ass! Laughter erupted from her. So he liked her new wardrobe? Well that was good. Kissing the soft hollow of his throat, she whispered into it.

"Thanks, I think. Let's go."

Pulling him after her headed outside, and turned to shut and look the door. Holding hands they made their way across the yard.

"Where you staying?"

"The Castle Hill something."

Knowing it, she nodded.

"Kinda out of the way."

"Yeah, didn't want to take any chances."

How could she have forgotten? He'd followed her all week. Hiding, learning. It blew her mind. Glancing over she studied his profile. Yeah, it was her Dom, but different. It was then she noted his bare chest.

Seeing the jealous looks she was getting she had forgotten what it had been like. Being in public together she'd always felt those looks were insulting. Why would he be with her? That's what they had said to her before.

Now though, she saw the men cutting their eyes her way. Sending Dom a few bitter glances. He was damn lucky too, she was more certain of that now. They were a good looking pair.

The arrogance of the thought caught her off guard. So when she caught him looking at her, a blush rose in her cheeks.

_Dom_

For some unknown reason he had made her blush. He'd have to do that more often. Heading down the boardwalk he began to see the looks she was getting. Wrapping an arm possessively around her waist, he sent the message loud and clear that she was taken.

On their way she was waving hello to the shopkeepers as they opened for the day.

"You're well known."

"I guess. With so many tourists, the locals are pretty tight. You never know when you may need a friend."

She lead him down a side street, and he thought about what she said. This was her home now. These streets, these people were all part of her life.

On impulse he pulled her into a gift shop, catching her as she almost fell over from the change in direction.

"Dom, what the hell?"

"I want a souvenir. Help me find something?"

Even with her mouth hanging open she was adorable. Ignoring the fact that she was looking at him as though he'd grown another head, he pulled her inside.

Wrapping his arms around her he hugged her close.

"I want to get you something. Anything you want."

_Letty_

Caught off guard by the hug and the whispered words, she nearly laughed him off. When their eyes met she was glad she hadn't. God, he was serious. Thinking she could get so used to this sweet Dom, she felt her insides turn to mush. When the little voice tried to interrupt the moment, she squashed it. Just for today.

Raising an eyebrow, her lips curved in a mischievous smile.

"Anything?"

His laughter echoed against her chest.

"Anything."

So she turned, still feeling his big hands on her hips and they began to browse. All thoughts of life and clothes left at the door.

Looking around she realized that he had picked one of the nicer stores. Side streets held higher quality, higher priced merchandise.

Just then a bracelet in the display case before them caught her eye. It would be perfect for Mia.

"Beautiful, isn't it?

Having seen her interest the shopkeeper, Maxine, as was indicated by her name tag, was now pulling it from the case.

"A local artisan hand-crafted it. One of a kind."

Picking it up she admired the fine strands of silver that laced around the four gems. All still in their natural shapes.

"It's beautiful."

Showing him over her shoulder, she saw him nod in agreement.

"Mia would love it."

Shocked, she looked up at him, craning her neck as far as it would go. How had he figured that? Why wouldn't he think it was for her?"

"What?"

Looking away she shrugged.

"Nothing. I'll take it."

Putting the piece down, she'd decided then to get it for Mia and something for the guys too.

"Gonna sweeten her up with a gift huh?"

Snickering she looked back over at him.

"Something like that. Why'd you assume it wasn't for me?"

His shoulders bunched up for a shrug as he brushed a stray hair from her face.

"It's not you."

Laughing softly at his answer she looked back down at the jewelry before them, feeling a challenge rise in her throat.

"Really, and what is?"

_Dom_

Not one to back down from anything his eyes skimmed over the pieces before him. Fighting the distraction of her herbal scented hair, he rested his chin on her shoulder.

Rings? No. Bracelets? No. Necklace?. Maybe, but nothing here was right. Then he saw it.

"There that one."

Lifting his hand, both women followed his finger to a thick silver cuff. Nothing fancy. No stones or designs marred the polished silver. When wrapped twice around her sculpted bicep the silver would glow.

"Shit."

Hearing the cashier chuckle, he looked up and caught her eye. Letty would never have picked something so girlie or probably expensive so he mouthed, "Wrap it," to Maxine.

Seeing her nod he pulled her back down the aisle.

"Come on you're stalling."

_Letty_

With a huff she moved on through the store. God, she hated when he was right. That had not changed in their time apart. Neither had the fact that he still knew her better than anyone else. Always had.

Pushing away the bad had been hard, but it was a form of protection. Now though, she saw that she had pushed away a lot of the good too. She'd forgotten how good they could be together. Fighting the heavy thoughts she caught herself staring at him.

"What?"

Smiling, she ran a finger across his lips.

"Nothing. Te quiero."

Meeting his kiss she fed on his lips as though she were starved. They pulled apart only when a phone rang. Linking her hand into his she pulled him along.

"Come on."

As though in a daze, he followed as she picked out two Corona Steins for Le and Vince. Maxine had made her way over to them.

"Follow me, I have just the thing for you."

Raising an eyebrow at the interruption, she didn't hesitate to follow. There was something about shopkeepers that rendered her free will useless.

When Maxine turned with an outfit in her hands she stopped, stumbling when he collided into her.

"Ooohhh..."

Unable to resist she reached out to touch the soft fabric. Thin gold thread ran thru a blood red bikini and matching sarong.

"With your coloring it was simply made for you."

_Dom_

All the blood in his body rushed south as the image of her in that pitiful excuse for an outfit teased his brain.

"We'll take it."

"Dom. No. There is no was I can wear that."

Was she serious?

"You're kidding right?"

Taking her face in his hands he kissed the tip of her nose.

"You're gonna wear it, even it's only because you know it will drive me crazy every second that you have it on."

Loving that soft smile, he heard her whisper.

"I guess so."

"Good, now let's go."

Turning to go pay, he felt a hand catch his elbow.

"Hey, what about you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, we came in here for you."

"Well what then?"

_Letty_

Frowning, she felt the challenge being tossed back at her and she was pissed that she hadn't seen that coming.

"Hmph..."

Passing him, ignoring the smirk he wore, she looked around.

Clothes? No. Mug? Hell, no. Come on. Turning her eyes were skimming the jewelry when they flicked over, then returned to the perfect thing. Tapping on the glass she smiled at her audience.

"That."

Both of them walked over to see her selection. On a band of thick, brown leather sat the face of a watch. Big wrists and arms were hard to fit with watches.

Watching him shake his head she laughed at his copied reaction.

"Shit."

Nodding a yes that she'd take it, she stepped over to the register. In silence they each took turns paying, hers first in cash, his in plastic. With her two bags she headed for the door.

Lost in thought, she jumped when he came up behind her and took the bag with the steins out of her hand.

"Dom...I can..."

Before she could finish her sentence his lips had cut her off.

"Let me, makes me look all manly."

Laughing into his neck she felt herself falling back into the sun.


	19. Someone's Listening

A/N: All the support is so great. Thanks to all of you for your kind words. It keeps the words that whisper in my ear clear. Please review it only takes a moment and it means so much. Well, we are going to see some of the team today and things will be unraveling from there. All the secrets will be revealed soon. Well, most of them ;) As usual I own nothing and mean no harm.

_Letty_

Once they'd gotten back to the house, delayed after an indecent stop in his hotel room, she set to work getting the house ready.

After repeated interruptions by his wandering hands, she sent him outside to play with the grill and straighten up the deck.

By the time the food had been delivered the house was in perfect order.

"Is it safe?"

Turning towards his voice, she found him leaning in the doorway.

"Funny."

Unloading the food, she felt him come up behind her.

"Let me do that. Go take a shower. Get dressed."

Watching as he took the lettuce from her hands, she started to protest. After a glare that had sent some men running, the words died on her lips.

_Dom_

Once the water was safely running he slipped back into the bedroom. Just as he'd hoped, her new outfit was laid out on the bed.

Rolling the piece in his hands, he placed it gently next to the top of her bikini. Thinking how amazing she was going to look he was almost caught.

Hearing the water shut off he hurried to the kitchen. With deliberate care he continued to put away the groceries.

Picking up a case of Corona he headed outside to fill the cooler. Burying them in the ice, he wished he'd brought a cold one out with him.

Then looking up he cursed himself for not bringing one.

"Damn."

_Letty_

Uncomfortable with the way he was staring, she focused on the ice before him. The look in his eye had made her wonder if she was safe alone with him.

When she'd gone to get dressed, after a long shave and shower, she'd found the cuff laying there, and had nearly come undone. The sweet gesture tugged at her heart.

Once dressed, the reflection in the mirror amazed her. With her hair dry and loose, she looked like some exotic temptress from one of Vince's skin flicks.

Snapping back to reality she watched him close the distance between them.

"Beautiful."

Wrapping her arms around his neck she felt his hands cup her ass and pull her tight against him.

"I need a beer."

Words strained with desire she looked at him through hooded eyes.

"Then what?"

"We wait."

_Mia_

Glancing at the clock she wondered where the day had gone. They had decided to keep the store and garage closed for the day. Deciding to skip classes, it was lucky for her Vince had been distracted or she would not have heard the end of it. When she had called Jamie begging for copies of her notes, she'd almost been caught.

Heading into the living room, it occurred to her that they would be leaving soon. Copies of directions as well as the album were ready by the door.

Looking at the cream cover she prayed that Letty would understand.

"You ok?"

Jumping, she turned and saw Leon coming from the kitchen.

"Yeah, I was just checking to make sure everything was set."

"Good."

"I still can't believe it."

"Me neither."

Studying his face she heard the emotion tighten his already scruffy voice. Since Mexico the two of them had been close. Something had happened, that much she was sure of. But what? She hadn't a clue.

After her disappearance Le had been dazed. Losing Jess and Letty had overwhelmed him.

They had almost lost him.

"We won't let her go again Le."

_Leon_

Looking up he read the concern in her eyes.

"Damn right, baby girl's not slipping away again."

Striding over, he wrapped his arms around her. Nothing had been right since she'd left. What was left of their family had broken.

It had fallen to Mia to keep them going. Her confidence of Letty's return had given them hope.

Pulling apart he kissed her forehead.

"Get everything ready?"

Thinking back over the past few hours he smiled a slow smile.

"Yeah, Vince should be here soon."

Leaving Mia to head upstairs to change he headed over to the mantle. Pictures lined the wood. Some of the original Toretto family, up through the rag tag group they had been before the heists.

Faces full of smiles and power, in the yard, in the kitchen, in their cars.

It had been too long since this house had felt that alive. Dom had not spent a night under this roof since Letty's departure, having taken up permanent residence on the couch at the garage.

Sighing he took a seat on the sofa. Hell, there weren't even any more decent parties to drown his sorrows in.

Sundays were their saving grace. Hours by the grill, out in the sun, with the memories. Thinking back to Mia's prayer, God, had that been only yesterday, for the return of their Let.

"Shit."

He supposed now there had to be someone up there listening some of the time.

Rising, he ran a hand over a shot of the whole gang taken about a year before the heists, and he felt, for the first time, things might turn out alright.


	20. My Heart

A/N: hey guys. Well, the gang is finally arriving! As usual I own nothing and mean no harm. Please review all the support is great.

_Mia_

Maneuvering through the streets, feeling the salt air hit her lips through the open window, she smiled. So close. The thought hit her and the smile grew. Looking at her surroundings she noted how nice it was. Shops and tourists were everywhere, but it wasn't overwhelming.

Faced suddenly with the blue of the ocean she hung a left when the light changed. Mindful of the distracted pedestrians, she realized she was about eight blocks away.

Turning the radio off she counted off each crossing until she saw it and just knew.

Nestled among the wild grass and sand was a beautiful two story home. Jerking the wheel she hopped the curb and pulled into the grass as she'd seen at other homes.

Barely remembering to turn the car off, she was out the door before the engine had time to stop turning. Watching as the front door opened she gasped.

"Oh my God!"

Gasps turning to yells she ran towards Letty as she came tumbling down the steps towards her. Tears falling they met in the grass and she threw her arms around her.

"Letty..."

Squeezing hard, she couldn't believe it.

"Mia..."

Hearing that voice, so distinctly hers, she let out another sob.

_Letty_

Just standing there wrapped in the arms of her best friend, it was hard to imagine any time had passed since their last meeting.

"God, Letty, let me look at you."

Always the mom, she felt her pull back and look her over.

"You look great."

Wrapped once again in her arms, she was now facing the house. Dom had followed her out and stood their watching. One hand buried in the pocket of his khakis, the other clutching a beer.

It was then she noted Mia had arrived alone. Had they not come? Pulling away she forced a smile when Mia ran a hand over her longer locks.

"Didn't they want to come?"

_Mia_

Hearing the doubt in her voice brought fresh tears to her eyes.

"NO, no...they had to make a stop."

Seeing the relief light her eyes, she smiled.

Just then a low rumble caught their attention and both women turned. Hearing the gasp beside her, she wrapped a supportive arm around her waist.

Giving a reassuring squeeze she watched as recognition lit up her face.

_Dom_

From his spot on the porch he watched the scene unfold. Watched as his sister nearly knocked Letty over and he could clearly see the tears, so he kept a safe distance.

That distance allowed him to notice, before them, what was heading for them. Even before the pink shone in the light before them he had heard the gears changing and knew.

Vince and Leon were pulling up in her car. Focusing on the maintenance and modifications they had made, kept the painful memories at bay. The last time he had seen this car, it had been bad. So bad. In that dark and dusty garage it had seemed like a dead thing.

Now though the old girl was more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

_Letty_

Could it be? Not until the boys were out and making their way over to her did it really hit her. This was her car.

"Holy SHIT!"

Running towards Vince who had come around to get her, she leapt into his arms. Not caring that her clothes were not made for such an activity, she felt herself being lifted, and offered no protest.

"Hey, Letty."

Nuzzling into his neck, smoke and sweat assaulted her senses, and she felt the tears start.

"Now don't do that. Here."

Feeling herself being passed to another pair of arms she looked up into Le's face and smiled.

"Hey."

Was that his voice? Choked as it was on emotion, she'd know it anywhere.

"Hey."

Foreheads touching, so much was there in his eyes, things she couldn't see right now. Before she was overwhelmed, Vince had come back over and wrapped his arms around the two of them.

"Team T is back together."

Untangling herself from Vince and Le she stepped over to her car, her baby. Out of the corner of her eye she noted that Dom had joined them and had Mia wrapped in a hug. All she wanted to see now was the beauty before her.

Running a hand over the freshly washed hood, it was so hard to imagine that she'd gone so long without her. Vince and Leon were interrupting each other, both trying to tell her what they'd done, and she nodded absently.

They'd remembered. The realization shamed her. All that they had done to her baby, she had mentioned at some point. Hours spent talking about mods and upgrades and they had remembered and done them for her. Humbled, she opened the door and slid into the seat. Gripping the wheel, she felt tears forming.

For eighteen months she'd avoided this. Not once had she sat behind the wheel of any other vehicle. Strange as it sounded Dom wasn't the only one she'd been loyal too. This car was a part of her and no matter what she'd not let her go again.

Looking up at the gang, her mouth dropped open in shock. Had she just seen Vince plant a kiss on Mia's temple? Were their arms actually wrapped around each other?

Caught, they both looked away.

"What did I miss?"

Stepping back out of the car she headed over to Mia.

"You didn't tell her?"

Did Mia just hiss at Dom? What the hell was going on?

"Not my news to tell."

It did not go unnoticed that he took a step back, or that his fingers whitened on the bottle.

Looking back at Mia, she rose an eyebrow as she waited for an explanation.

"Well."

Watching as Mia raised her hand, she felt her throat tighten when she saw it.

"Surprise."

_Dom_

Night had settled over their patch of sand. Hours had passed quickly as beers had been drunk and stories exchanged. Now though, a quiet had settled over the group. Having pulled her into his lap rather than loose her to dishwashing, he still held her an hour later.

Burying his face into her hair, he felt his fingers stroke the back of his neck. Recalling the stunned look on her face when she learned they had married, he smiled. The two of them had poured over that album Mia had agonized over. A pictoral keepsake of a special day was what she called it.

Hell, he had walked his sister down the aisle six months ago, and it still caught him off guard sometimes. Never thought that would actually happen, but hell, it made them happy.

Spread out over the deck, he looked over his family, his team. Let had lit candles as Le and Vince had struggled with the fireplace. Faces lit by flames, he saw how happy they each looked finally.

Feeling the subtle shift of her body, and the way the air had thickened, he cringed inwardly. He'd missed something.

Shit, the conversation had gone on around him, but he'd been lost in his mind. Struggling to recall the words that had flown around him, Leon's laugh caught his attention.

"Shit, man didn't you tell her?"

Burying his face back into the warmth of her hair, he tried to block out the icy question that was thrown at him.

"Who's Jade?"


	21. Broken

A/N: What can I possibly say? I do humbly beg you all for forgiveness. Firstly I would like to thank all of you who reviewed and gave me words of encouragement. Especially the more recent ones that have helped me get to this point. I was hurt badly by a friend I cared so much about. Betrayed and berated and to put it simply I lost my Letty. For those of you who write I hope you understand what I mean and for those who don't, well it's like losing a friend and then their cool sister won't talk to you anymore.

Well I think I have found her again and so I am back to 'Sad Lament.' It is ironic that the first chapter I am posting post the 'event' is full of pain. I promise all will be resolved and I hope this chapter is not to confusing and provides some insight to where they are heading. Again I apologize for such a long time since my last post. As usual I own nothing and mean no harm. I know I don't deserve them but reviews are greatly appreciated.

_Letty_

Rolling over, she tried to ignore the pounding in her head. No such luck.

Pulling the sheet over her head in a feeble attempt to block the sun, it occurred to her suddenly what day it was.

"Shit."

The word came out as a whimper, but at least she could form the word. As it had the previous two mornings the memories flooded her all at once.

"Liar."

"Asshole."

"Slut."

"Murderer."

Eyes closed against the voices and the pain, she tried to push it away. Too make it stop. It was too much.

As quickly as he had re-entered her life he'd left. In a flurry of harsh words and accusations he'd gone. Leaving her in a haze of anger and pain. Just like that night in a shitty Mexican hospital when she had learned of and lost a child in a single breath.

Curling up under the sheet she cursed her weakness and lack of intelligence.

If she'd been stronger she'd have not told him that their child had been lost in the back of a Civic.

If she'd been smarter she'd have made him understand why she'd kept it from him.

Then the anger hit, snuck up on her now that the self-loathing had passed. Anger that he wouldn't listen, God, he never listened.

How could she have thought he had changed? Didn't he remember what things had been like? How much of a wreck he had been then.

Showing up in the middle of the night, and breaking down as she lay in a hospital bed. Jesse's death had broken something in him and he'd looked to her for strength.

With his head in her lap, the pain rolling off him, she'd decided not to tell him. To live with the knowledge all by herself was a decision made to protect him.

Tears were soaking her pillow. Tears she couldn't believe were still in her.

"Liar."

At first he hadn't believed her. Grabbing her and demanding she take the words back. Stop making shit up, he'd said.

"Asshole."

Pushing her away he had tried to deny her words and her anger had built. How dare he pretend it hadn't happened. Anger flowed through her that he would think she would make such a thing up.

"Slut."

Then they had really gotten into it. They were both experts at pain, at hurting each other. Going for the kill he had accused of not telling because it wasn't his. That the accident had just been a cover for her slutty ways. The accusation still burned in her chest. He knew damn well she had been with no one but him, but hurling the words at her would hurt. He wanted to hurt her.

"Murderer."

Something in her had shut off, after his accusations, because she remembered whispering the word, but didn't remember consenting to it. Hours had been spent convincing him that Jesse's blood was not on his hands, and that one word shattered that carefully built resolve. Hearing his roar of anger and pain, the way his tight muscles bunched. She closed her eyes.

Then nothing. Broken, wood lay at her feet, the echo of a slamming door rang in her head. Crumbling to the ground she had sat there, numb.

Soon enough the tears had begun, and the loss washed over her so great, she couldn't breathe.

Their baby had died and it had been her fault, he was right. His final words as he'd left. A real woman, he said, would have known and not gone out to do something so dangerous.

No man, no baby. Nothing.

_Dom_

Pacing as the sun rose, he fought the urge to smash in the windows of the car before him. Fisting his hands he headed back into the office to calm down.

Could it be Friday already? Time had crawled by when she'd gone, but the past few days had blinked by.

Alcohol and insomnia had greyed the edges of his vision. The images in his mind, however, were clear. The way her body had tensed and her eyes had grown distant when she'd come to him.

Could he sit? Would he listen? Innocent questions, that led him like a fool, into a world he didn't know. In this world he'd had a child. Had a child and lost a child.

"Liar."

"Asshole."

"Slut."

"Murderer."

Stunned at her words. A child, Mexico, blood. It didn't seem real. Words so foreign to him if she had been speaking German it would have made more sense.

Dropping onto the couch that had been his bed for months, his head dropped back onto the cushion.

What a mess. A disaster. Mia knew. Had come by to see how he was. There had been no anger in her eyes. Pain, confusion, and most perplexing, disappointment.

Why she was disappointed he had no clue? It seemed he understood very little anymore.

All the nights, she'd felt distant, when she'd cried silently, he'd assumed it was for Jess or because of him. It had been that and more. Grief, it had been grief for a child.

Rubbing his face, hoping answers would just appear, he still couldn't grasp the thought that she hadn't shared with him.

Alone, she'd grieved. Alone she'd burned the car their baby had been lost in. And now he was alone. Helpless to stop the whispers from coming.

"Liar."

It couldn't be true, trying to shake the lies from her, he'd almost convinced himself that she'd made it up. Made it up to make him pay.

"Asshole."

Not true. Not true. The thought had echoed in his head as her bitter word hit him in the back. By then he'd known it was no lie, but it was too late. His temper had risen.

"Slut."

Turning, he'd seen the word hit her, and the wounded look in her eye. Even as he yelled his accusations, he'd known they weren't true. She'd never wanted anyone but him. Never had anyone else, but the damage had been inflicted. Knowing how to make her bleed had been a specialty. If he made her hurt, it would lessen his right?

"Murderer."

Looking at her, seeing her black eyes, full of hate and something in him had snapped. Through years of fights he had never laid a hand on her. Violence had erupted, but never at her, but he had come close. Too close. Looking down, he swore his hands were covered in blood. In a panic he grabbed the wood table before him. Was that his voice?

Then silence. Seeing the broken wood before him, he knew how close he had come. Stepping towards the door he heard her words, 5 weeks, no signs, but it didn't matter.

Blaming her, degrading her, he remembered speaking, but not so much the words. All he could think about was he had been a Dad. A Dad.


	22. If Only

A/N: There is no excuse for the delay in writing this. Just that I lost their voices and I found them today when I woke up. I hope that this will conclude in the next two chapters. I hope you enjoy. I own nothing and mean no harm. Reviews are so very welcome.

**Letty**

Night was thicker here. What light offered by the moon was blocked by man's ego. This was no longer her home, her space. Having left the line of beach she knew by heart, she had not taken a proper breath.

On their own her hands turned the wheel, taking her back, moving her forward. Coming tonight had not been an easy decision, one she had not made until she sat in her car. The moment her fingers slid over the leather of the seat she knew what she had to do.

This had to end. She could live with the ache. It had settled into the small space between her heart and stomach and she knew it well, knew how to ignore it. Work around it. She had done it for years, but she missed her family. Mia, Vince, Leon, the car humming under her. Dom was Dom and she was Letty and that would never change.

Shaking her head, desperate to rid her self of the randomness of her thoughts. They were streaming through her head, if she could just catch one she would be alright. _Race. _Smiling, the evil little smile that gave most of her students the shivers, she found her thought and pounced on it.

Queen of the races. Having passed on the title when her relationship with Dom had gone public, she had spent countless Fridays earning the title. She had, was, the Queen because of her skills, her love for the quarter mile and there was no way in hell some stripper sounding puta Jade was taking her title.

Fuck. That. Shit.

Waltzing onto the scene and declaring yourself the Queen didn't mean you were, and she was just itching for a fight, or a race.

Mia had taken great pleasure in telling her that other "Queenly" duties had been firmly and publically rebuffed. There was no love lost between those two. Smiling, catching herself only after the smile was settled on her face, her stomach dropped. Dom. It all came back to Dom. So for 180 seconds she had thought of something else, that was 170 seconds longer than she had gone yesterday.

Sighing, she jerked the wheel to the right so suddenly she flinched when her tires squealed. Coming to rest on the shoulders she felt her own shoulders sag. Why was she doing this? Going back, facing him after everything. It was over. Done. He knew the truth and had reacted just as she had predicted. Worse even.

Why go back then. Her life was in Venice now. Her job, her tiny circle of friends, her piece of beach. The Letty she had become was a new person. One she liked. The bitch she had been for so long was unfamiliar to her now. The mask was still there, but she had forgotten how to put it back on.

She had forgotten so many things. How nice it was to wake up next to someone_. Dom. _Eat breakfast wearing someone else's clothes. _Dom's. _Lips. _Dom's._

"Shit!"

Slamming her hands onto the wheel, her teeth dug into her cheeks so hard she tasted blood. Dom, Dom, Dom. It always came back to him. He was like a drug, her drug and she had gotten another taste and dammit she wanted more. Her heart, her body wanted him back.

Catching her reflection in the mirror, the kohl darkened eyes startling her, she studied the face looking back at her. Full red lips, skin darkened by the sun, black locks framing her face. She was as she had always been. A hot-blooded Latina whose heart belonged to the one man who would never be hers.

When he had shown up on her doorstep, she had foolishly thought for a moment, a spilt second really, that her dreams were coming true. Together they would face each morning. But no. Not the ending to this story. Her story. He didn't want her anymore.

Easing back onto the highway, her heart broken, but resolved. She would race tonight, take back that part of her, and finally let him go.

**Dom**

"Hey man."

Turning towards the gruff voice, he slipped the black wife beater over his head as Leon leaned against his worn desk.

"You ready for this?"

Ignoring the hidden question, he answered instead the obvious one.

"It's just another race man."

"Yeah."

Silence, heavy and thick, he wished he could open the window and crawl out.

"You ok?"

OK? What was ok? Had anything ever been ok? Once maybe, before his Dad died. Kids were still kids, cars were still cars, and Letty was still his Letty.

Apparently his lack of response was enough for Le because he nodded as if he knew. He knew. The thought dawned on him so suddenly he could only stare at the man across from him.

"You knew?"

A deep breath, long fingers ran over perfectly manipulated facial hair.

"You knew she lost the baby."

It took all of his strength not to stomp over there and shake the answer from him.

"I suspected."

Suspected. What the fuck did that mean,

"Christ, Dom. There was so much blood. Everywhere. She was moaning and clutching. And the blood was everywhere. I just. I just didn't know what to do, so I drove faster, harder and her fucking moans were rattling around in my head..."

It was there in his head, he had left her in that car, broken, bleeding.

"By the time we crossed the border, she was quiet, and I would have cut off my left arm to hear her again. Something. Anything but the silence."

The strike of a match caught the attention of his unfocused eyes. All the color had left Leon's face, and the hand that held the cigarette had a slight tremor.

"After we got to the hospital, I didn't see her until she was tucked away into her own bed. She was crying man. Really crying. In all the time I've know let man I'd never seen her cry."

Rubbing his hands over his face, he easily pictured it in his head, and he felt nauseous.

"Two days after she was discharged, we were holed up in that shit hole remember? She came to me, asked me about the car. I didn't see it then, I was so worked up over Jess, that I didn't hear how dead her voice was, or how flat her eyes were. We were all so fucked up then I don't think we would have noticed an invasion of killer bees."

Too true. Those hours, days after their hasty departure, were mostly a blur to him, but still. He should have noticed.

"She asked me where it was. I told her. Then she asked me for a favor. Made me swear not to tell anyone. She was so worried that you would be worried about the car. Not that any of us would ever drive that or any Civic again, but I swore. I promised."

Looking down at his feet, memories were flooding him. His drunken rages, his grief so overwhelming it had taken all of them to subdue him or he would have done something unforgivable, not repairable, much as had done just days ago.

"There was gas and fire and silence again. In my head I heard her moaning, pleading, but next to me she stood silent and I wondered for the first time why."

Why. Why had Letty been in so much pain even after Vince had begun smiling again and Mia slept through the night without waking in pain. Why. Why. Why.

"So it's true then?"

There it was. The question he knew had been coming. He didn't want to say it. Didn't want it to be real.

"Yes."

If he had anticipated the reaction, it would not have changed his answer.

"Fuck you Dominic. How could you do it to her again? Run around with those fucking racer skanks"

The force with which his body was slammed up to the wall rattled his whole frame. Two years suddenly disappeared and he felt a bit of the old ultra-violence coming back. Gritting his teeth, he looked directly into the eyes before him.

"She never told me."

The look of disgust was shocking on Leon's face was like ice water over his head. As quickly as he had been grabbed he was let go.

"Of course she didn't tell you. You fucking asshole. She had just lost a baby. What was she gonna do. Pull you to the side during one of her thirty seconds of sobriety and dump that on you! Don't you remember how it was. How you were. How we all were."

Slumping down the length of the wall, his legs stretched out before him. He only barely recognized that Leon had fallen suit. Were. Were. Were. He was drowning in the past.

"I remember."

For two years he had been reliving his mistakes, striving for something new, and he thought he had done it. Figured out how to be Dom without being Dom. Shaking his head in confusion, he didn't even know what he was trying to say.

Maybe he hadn't changed at all.

"How could she tell you. It would have broken you. Broken all of us."

"So she kept it to herself. Didn't tell me that I had a child."

The bitterness was apparent in his voice, but he supposed that the despair was as well.

"Had a child. Lost a child."

Pain lanced through him, hot, white."

"Whatever you think now Dom. What she did then was the right thing. She protected you."

Had she? Had she really? Yes, she had. The pain of Jesse's death was a quiet place on his heart, a wound on his soul that would never heal, but he could bare it. It had not always been like that.

"Yeah."

And just like that he knew that he had fucked up. Again.

"You fucked up again didn't you?"

Snorting at Le's mind reading skills, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't I always."

"Yeah."

Their laughs were hollow. Pain saturated the air around them and all he wanted to do was close his eyes, wish it all away. But there was only one thing that made the pain ease up. Letty. Just Letty. Her smile, her scent, just her. And he had hurt her. Flashes of her form on the floor, surrounded by broken wood, assaulted him.

Sitting on the nasty floor of his office, he really should let Mia clean it, God knows she offered enough, he wondered if it was over. Dom & Letty. Letty & Dom. Did he want it to be? Was there any other name he wanted next to his? Fighting the bile that rose up in his throat when he thought of another name next to hers. Never.

It was Dom & Letty and it would always be that way. It had to be.

Tonight he would find out. Tonight.


	23. Look Down

I cannot believe that I have this here, the next part in Sad Lament, and as I sit here I am both exhilarated and ashamed. Too much time has passed since the last update and I am cannot apologize enough. Given that I hope that those of you still willing to read this will not be too disappointed with the result. I would be most anxious to hear any thoughts on this chapter. Thanks again and sorry for the loooong wait.

* * *

"You ran away again."

Fat lot of good that had done her and really was it running away when you only went home?

"You followed."

She didn't turn around, she had no need to, she could see him clearly standing in the doorway, scowling, arms crossed.

"You promised you wouldn't do that again."

'Ha!' The laugh was bitter and bleeding, but she couldn't help that.

"What's one more broken promise between us?"

His grunt, his irritation, was palpable, but Letty kept her hand firmly on the railing, her eyes staring out at the violent sea before her.

"If I were a better man, a stronger man, I'd let you go."

Not what she had expected. The words slid in she turned them over, absorbed their meaning.

Gasping, she couldn't imagine a life completely free of the man, the person that was Dominic Toretto; did she even want to?

"You done real good here Letty girl. Got a home, a life, you did so much, so well."

The pressure rising in her chest was painful. How could his words, his sincere respect and admiration still affect her so much? She shouldn't need it (crave it) not after all that had stretched between them.

"But I've never been strong when it counted or good when I needed to be."

How true, she considered all the times that very choice would have made all the difference in the world. He moved silently over to her, coming to stand to her left, and she finally snuck a glance.

Oh, that smile. That smile had made so many nights better. How she had missed that.

"I can't let you go."

And there it was.

"I won't."

Oh, God, she didn't want to hear this.

"You want to run away again, that's fine, but things won't change, Letty. I'll still be here, I'll still be waiting."

How could she be hearing this?

"Who knows maybe then, after the world brings you back to me again, maybe that time you'll know."

Know? Oh, that was funny. Really. 'Know.' She had always known. There had never been a question of knowing and really wasn't that the problem.

She loved him, she fucking hated him, she wanted him as much as she wished him dead. What they were, the force of them, was destructive, chaotic, and so, so dangerous.

"What I know Dom is the danger that we are."

The fire, the burn, had cooled and she could look at him now. Look at him and smile.

"We hurt and break and destroy."

There was nothing fair about the words she spoke, she knew it, hell she was sure he knew it, the frown he wore was clear on that point, but it was so hard to just put together what was slipping out of her head, her heart. Words had never been her thing. Why talk when you could do?

Mia had words, so had Jesse in his own weird way, and lest she forget Dom himself. A master of language, real language, he could rile and rant and seduce. My goodness he sure knew his words.

What words were there to fix this? What magic combination of vowels and consonants would ease the ache in her chest and just make it all better.

"You're right."

'Right?'

"The people we were," he shrugged, "Not to great at the everyday, the normal, the living."

They never had just lived had they? Intrigued she turned towards him, still maintaining a safe distance distance between touches, he respected it, leaning forward until his elbows rested against the wood.

"We are different people now," Were they though? Hadn't tonight proved otherwise? "With another chance."

Could it be that simple? Leaving that night eighteen months ago had been so simple, the hardest thing she had ever done, but unbelievably simple.

She had gone with her gut, listened to her heart, and had leaped.

"This is our chance, our fucking moment," his eyes burned into hers, she could see the belief the absolute conviction in the words, "I know it."

He did? After everything? Everything?

Her thoughts were raging a war in her head. There were no more secrets between them, he knew, all of it, and still, still he was here. She couldn't see anymore, turned away from the sight. It was too beautiful, too much, and she hid her eyes from it.

"You do too. I want to fight for this. So the question is do you?"

He was waiting, she knew it, but she had no answer for him, how could she? It was too big for one answer.

"I can wait. Like you waited," his chuckle was deep and warm, "Serves me right then doesn't it?."

He had always had a warped sense of humor, had always been able to make her laugh. Maybe all of what they been had not been bad.

Turning, to reassure, to accept, to run, she didn't know, but didn't have to; he was gone.

And again she was all alone.

His words had led her down a path that she was not prepared for and now that she was on it she had way of knowing where to go. At a loss she began to move, heading off the porch, she made her way down to the beach, his words, his smiles followed. She was as overwhelmed and unsure as she had been the moment she had pulled her car off the highway.

* * *

Her arrival downtown had caused an uproar, people were cheering, and horns had begun to blaze announcing her progress down the line. Through the welcome her eyes scanned the crowds, looking, wondering, until her eyes fell on the only available spot. Her spot.

"Never let no one else near it Letty-girl!" Vince's whisper had shaken her, but she had had no time to absorb them, as she was lifted in the air by strong arms.

"Team Toretto rides again!"

The crowd had erupted again after Vince's official announcement and before she could catch her breath, faces were smiling at her, some she knew, more she didn't, but she smiled back, smiled until her cheeks hurt.

Then as quickly as they had converged the crowd part. Her smiles faded as her eyes narrowed, cautious, "Dominic."

Briefly she had wondered if he would turn away from her, effectively cutting her out of the thing they still shared, and the possibility had hurt more than she thought it would.

But he had simply stared, "Letty."

Two steps had separated them, the whole world had silenced, eager to see if the King would welcome back his Queen. Hell their story had become legend.

His brutal gaze had bent her, but she was not about to break, crossing her arms, shifting her hips just so, the tapping finger on her elbow conveyed indifference to all the world. Let him look, let him think what he would, but she would not break for him again.

To her left she had seen Mia tense, her hand grasping tightly to an unsuspecting Vince.

The silence, the eyes, the stare had begun to frustrate her, and she had never done that emotion very well. A split second before she turned around, fully intending to toss a colorful 'fuck you' over her shoulder, his hand moved.

As stunned as she could ever remember being, she had stood frozen as his fingers reached toward the strands of hair that had blown across her cheek.

At that point her heart had taken on an unhealthy cadence, and then nearly stopped when he moved forward, pressing the softest of kisses to her cheek. His voice came to her in a whisper that was meant only for her, "Welcome back Letty."

Surprise was hardly a big enough word to describe how she felt then; stunned, silent, they all worked as well. So yeah, it had been an 'S' moment.

Of all the greetings she had anticipated on the ride over, most of which had ended with her fist on his face, the reality had never been considered.

"Time to Race!" his body had left her space and she had stood there, accepting, understanding. She wanted this night to be hers, to race, but had not counted on him giving that to her.

"Letty, come on, they're getting ready," Mia had pulled her away.

"Mia, It's...I..." Arms wrapped around her and she had held on tightly.

"I know, I know, he's trying Let. I really think he is."

Mia knew them both so well, yes, they had both changed, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse, but Dom's little sister knew to question his sincerity on the big things, as did she, and Mia's words carried weight.

She had been lost in her head when a gruff voice interrupted her thought, "He did wrong Letty."

Turning, she had welcomed the hug Leon offered, Mia was swept away in the crowd leaving the two of them in their embrace.

"We both did Lee," and that was the truth she could accept now. They had both done so much wrong.

"And he knows it," maybe the shock had worn off, or the memories that Lee had brought with his cologne, but something shifted in her head. History had started repeat itself. Dom does wrong, fesses up, Letty forgives, and bam, the cycle starts over again.

Hope was replaced by pain, the evidence of it had been in her voice, "it might not be enough this time Lee," she ignored the little voice in her head, the one that reminded her of her culpability, how much of everything was just his fault, when would she accept her role?

Around them people were hyped up on the adrenaline of the impending race and she considered how very impractical it had been to be having that conversation there, but before she could change topics, Leon pressed on.

"Letty, listen," his eyes had taken hold of hers, "he's not perfect, but he knows this time. Really knows."

Something had happened between the two men, she knew it at that moment, but before she could form a response, consider an apology for all that had happened, she felt a big hand press against the small of her back.

Dom.

"Leon," the tension between the two was thick, "Dom."

She hated being the cause, they probably would never admit that they had shared words over her, and neither was bloodied or bruised, but she was certain of the fact all the same.

"I'm gonna go," Leon had looked down at her, blue eyes filled with love, and she smiled, "Gotta get me a spot," 'Family' she had missed her family so very much.

Before the smile had faded from her lips, her attention turned to Dom. The palm on her back was warm, the thumb had begun to spin circles on her spin, already her body was beginning to hum, things tended to get murky when he touched her and this was no exception.

"Are you racing tonight?" hoping to create distance with the stupid question and a turn, she was thwarted when his hand caught her elbow just below the cuff he had bought her, that she had won it had not gone unnoticed by him apparently.

"That was the plan," there had been more he had wanted to say, she was sure of it, but his eyes, his thumb, was focused solely on the cool metal on her arm, "And?"

Nothing, her eyebrow had arched in wonder as he still held her, still had no answer for her, "And?" she prompted once again.

At her insistence, his eyes rolled, "Damn woman, never was a patient bone in you body."

The comment had caught her off guard, the unexpected warmth of his tone had saved him from a black eye, but the ease with which he joked with her still threw her off. She was as tightly wound as she had ever been and this change in him was not helping ease her mind, not she was sure, as he was hoping it would.

Again it struck her as odd, there they had been standing there speaking as though nothing had happened.

"Would you wait for me?

There was playfulness in his voice now, only the honest line of the words, the question. Finding his eyes she saw in them what she had heard in his voice.

"Yeah," how could she not, the answer had come on its own, carried on a voice soft enough that he had been forced to dip his head down to hear her.

She hadn't intended to look up just as her answer drew out a delicious response on his face, how could her word simply make him light up like that, it had never been that way before. So stunned at that, she had certainly never intended to press her lips against hips.

Intended or not, what followed was devastating. Just being close to him was overwhelming her. The chaste kiss was drawing claps and catcalls from those closest to them.

A tingle started somewhere near her belly button, one she got each time one of Dom's kisses was about to change, it was wrong, it was right, and it was as it had ever been.

"Break it up you two," as quickly as they had come together they were pulled apart, Vince effectively broke their connection with voice, body, "We got a race to run," she didn't' know whether to cry or cuss.

A hand on her arm began to pull her away, "come on, you can ride with me," without lips to distract her, the realizations of what they'd done, of what they'd almost done, began to sink in. Once again Mia read her mind, "You two, I swear to fucking God when you get withing a foot of each other the air becomes combustible."

How very very true. Even now, with the air and leather of Mia's car in her lungs she could feel him, taste him.

"Is this what you want Letty? This can't be kissed away," shame and anger burned in her throat, it was only the care and concern on Mia's face when she turned towards her the instantly shut down the anger.

As hard as things were, are, for her she was not stupid enough to think that she was the only one hurting.

"I know Mia. I do."

Eyes closed she felt the weight of the situation press into her chest, but really there was only one thing that she kept circling back too, "I just want to forget. Just for tonight."

* * *

Dom studied her from inside the house, the beer in his hand half drunk and cool in against his palm, his view of her through the glass door was unobstructed and he was grateful for it, she had gone somewhere in her head. Somewhere in the past few minutes that he had no right to and it hurt. 'Patience and calm.' His feet carried him out the door and towards her, stopping at the stairs leading onto the sand, she was three feet ahead of him, but it might as well have been a quarter mile.

"Mia reminded me that we couldn't just kiss it away this time," he was encouraged at the fact that she knew he was still near, that while he had left he wasn't gone, but he wished her voice had not been quite so defeated.

"You know what I told her?" he didn't answer, had no time to think of one, "I told her that I wanted tonight. I wanted it," she hated herself and in that moment so did he, "How fucked up is that?"

Perhaps the situation, the motivations were fucked, but he couldn't get the smile out of his head. The bright, beautiful smile she had for him when he had crossed the line in victory.

Her feet carried her back onto the deck, close enough to him that he could almost reach out and touch her.

"Letty..." no further had he gone, when her hand lifted, halting any more words. He was too surprised to react, so he simply snapped his mouth shut.

As good as it must have felt to shut him up with a mere gesture, he saw the light that had burst in her eyes dim and the ache settle back over her.

"I'm tired Dom," in truth she was exhausted. The energy and adrenaline was gone, replaced with a weariness she could barely comprehend. The silence between them stretched out, she wondered what he was thinking in that big head of his. With a sigh she turned away leaning back onto the railing her chin resting on her hand. There had been no second guessing what had been on his mind as he crossed the finish line.

* * *

Before his car had even idled down he was out of it and one her. Without protest she went, letting her lips be captured, allowing her body to be lifted. Yes, it had been clear then that what he wanted was her and damn if it hadn't felt good. So she had clung to his neck, savoring each kiss, until a shrill voice cut through their moment.

"So you're Letty huh?"

Only one person could possible have been stupid enough to interrupt that moment.

'Jade.'

From over Dom's shoulder she had seen her, looking very much like a knock off Bratz doll. Dom had been forgotten then, his final kiss, pressed softly into the hollow of her throat barely registered.

This was about pride, about respect, and she was ready for a fight. Sliding down and out of Dom's hold, she tossed him a wink before turning her full attention to the girl before her.

"Jade. I've heard so much about you..."

Unfortunately, the girl was to dense to pick up on the sarcasm, as was indicated by the smug expression and straightening of her shoulders. A more direct approach had been needed.

Stepping toe to toe, looking down into Jade's painted face, she felt the bitch clawing to come out and gladly set her free, "I've heard all about how you fucked you way through each race and upgrade only to find yourself most unwelcome once you reached the top."

No one spoke. No one moved. All eyes were on them. It was well known that Jade had wanted Dom, but he had never taken her up on any of her many offers.

"You bitch!"

The shriek brought a smile to her face, "true, but it's better than being a skank."

Jade's reply was lost under Dom's rumble of laughter. Done with the conversation and the girl, she turned her back on the sputtering figure. Dom still had a smile on his face when she stepped up to him, her eyebrow raised, "You find something funny Torretto?"

His hands had settled on her waist, "Just surprised is all. Once upon a time you would have laid her out flat."

She had laughed then too, "Oh, I have every intention of doing just that," maybe he would have caught on before, maybe not, but he had this time and it warmed her.

With a nod of acknowledgement he lifted his eyes and his voice to the crowd, "let's settle this people. Time to Race!" Everyone began to move all at once. Gravity. Pushing and pulling those around him was what Dom did best and he was doing it for her, it meant something, a lot of something.

The next few minutes had passed in a blur, Leon had been the one to take her back to her car and then it was time. Lined up, engine revving, her hands gripping the wheel so tightly she felt every ridge of leather beneath her palms. She was alive then, more alive then she been in years, Hector stepped up, "Alright people. On my mark. 3. 2. 1. DRIVE!"

There was no doubt that the machine Jade drove was tight. In the right hands the competition might have been close. As it was, the following seconds were not a race as much as it was a slaughter.

With a hammering heart, she slid into neutral, trying to catch her breath. She had done it. She had won.

"Alright!" Before she could absorb the feeling of victory, she pulled from the car. Vincent.

"You did good, V, she pulled better than I ever remembered."

V's blush drew a laugh from her, "Naw, it ain't nothing," V had gone on to gush about the race to the nearest body just as she felt strong arms wrap around her from behind. Dom.

No sooner had his kiss been pressed to her temple, than the radio in his pocket crackled to life.

"5-0! 5-0! Everybody move!!"

Instinct kicked in. No time for words, they shared a look and parted, each to their own ride. Both eager to be long gone before the cities finest invaded.

Cars jammed the known exits, she had cursed, jerking the wheel to the right she had begun to weave among the buildings. Memories leading her, familiar headlight in her rear view encouraging her.

He had followed her. Grinning like a school girl, she had held the expression through each matching turn until they were safely out of the industrial district. Stopping for the first time at a red light, she took her first deep breath, confident that the danger had passed, she almost missed him as he pulled up next to her, close enough to see his chest rise and fall, adrenaline from another clean getaway was boiling in her blood just as intensely.

"Nice ride."

The hell?

His engine revved, he tossed her a grin, she threw back a smirk, so it was like that than, OK, "Thanks."

His head cocked to the right, he looked at her in disbelief, "Sure you can handle it?"

The smirk melted off her face and she was fairly certain the look she gave him would have made a lesser man shiver. The resulting laughter only pissed her off more.

"Oh, I can handle it," her baby purred as her foot pressed down onto the accelerator.

"Prove it then," he taunted, as if there was another option. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she gripped the wheel firmly, "Oh, I will."

Offering him one last smile, she turned her attention to the task at hand. In that moment the light turned green, an innocent act, the empty streets were caught completely unaware as the two cars sped forward.

Neither held back, nor gave an inch. They had driven viciously. Dom had cut her no slack, pushing as hard as he could and she had pushed back just as hard; kept up like no one else could. They had pushed until not even the road could keep up anymore.

Warnings had been a blur, somewhere between them it had twisted, more than miles were passing before them and it was spinning out of control. The warnings in orange and yellow of the impending 'Dead End' had caught them both off guard.

Tires skid and asphalt screamed as their cars fought to stop.

"Fuck." Her head fell onto the wheel, even as the metal frame shuddered under the force of the stop. So close. So close.

Fighting the nausea she tried to control her breathing.

It had been too much like last time. They had come so close to disaster. Wouldn't have been the first time.

"Letty!" A car door slammed and there were footsteps, but the sound was muffled over the blood pounding in her ears. There had been blood last time too, lots of it, pulling her life and her baby's life out onto the leather. Her moth opened to respond to the cries of her name, but nothing came out, she jumped when the door beside her opened.

"Letty-girl," the panic in his voice was so startling, so clear, the force of it bouncing in her head, even as he undid her belts and pulled her into his arms, she was lost in it. Past and present, then and now, were one. Sounds and smells were confusing her, so she clung to him, trying to push it away. Another road, another close call.

In the moment, it broke, everything crashed down in her head, what were they doing? "Dom. Stop."

Pushing out of his embrace she had walked away from him. Ignoring the hurt expression, she kept her back to him. In the dark their headlights cast their shadows long.

"Something never change do they," bitterness coating each words, "we've been here before, remember?"

Caught up, in the memories, in the present, she had looked down at her hands.

"There was so much blood."

Backing away from his advances, the words continued unchecked, "You were right. I should have known, somehow, yes, but I wanted so much to be there for you. i wanted to have you back."

And she had always wanted to have his back, even when he hadn't had hers. That desire clouded everything else, her judgment, her perception, so maybe there had been more signs, signs she was too blind to see. One thing was clear though, "I would have wanted that baby. Our baby. More than anything."

Turning towards him, unashamed of her declaration, her heart twisted when she saw his face, his eyes, so full of pain.

That's what it came back to every time with them. Pain.

And it was enough.

"Letty..." she couldn't hear him. Not now, not anymore, it hurt to much.

"No, Dom, I can't. It's enough this time. This was a mistake. All of it." To say he looked stunned would be a vast understatement.

Twisting her hand out of his, uncertain when he had taken it, she headed for her car.

"Go back to your world Dom. Forget about me," once she had started, she had been unable to stop the words. Saying things she hardly knew the meaning of.

"Forget what happened here, there. It's done," she kept moving, certain if she stopped she would listen to the voices screaming for her to stop, that it was wrong. By the time she had settled behind the wheel, Dom had come alive.

As her hand turned the key, he stepped up in front of the car, angry eyes baring down on her. Ignoring his shouts of protest, his threats, his pleas, she flinched only once when his fists came to rest on her hood. Calmly she had put the car in reverse, pulling away from the dead end, away from him.

* * *

"You never answered my question Letty," why was he still here? She couldn't help the bitter tone of her thoughts and she didn't like the hold they had on her.

Rolling her shoulders she ran her hands over her face. The memories, the talking, it was so much work trying to keep it straight.

"What question Dom?" when misdirection fails, go for ignorant denial. Dom's patience would only hold for so long, the cords of muscle in his neck were straining under the weight of staying calm.

This is it. The final question. Was she done with it. With him. Before she could begin to wade through the fallout of those questions, he had begun to speak.

"I'm an asshole."

Whatever she had been expecting that comment hadn't been it, "I'm selfish and arrogant and when it mattered, I let you down."

Each word was deliberate and his voice was calmer than she had ever remembered it being. She supposed he was having a moment of clarity and felt intrusive, regardless of the fact that it was for her.

"I let you down then now," his eyes had moved towards her and away again, "If I wasn't selfish and an asshole I would let you go." Her eyebrows rose, even as her stomach began to drop.

"This life, this place, you, all of it is so good. You done so good." Even if it had been her turn to speak, she would have had nothing to say. Everything she was sure of was unraveling.

"...without me," his voice was barely above a whisper, but there was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice, "Somewhere, someone has the right words to fix this. To put back together what's broken," his mouth was opening and words were just spilling out, rubbing sweaty palms over his scalp, "but I don't have them. I have an apology that is no where big enough for everything I've screwed up. A stubborn promise that no matter what you say I will never, ever leave you alone. A guarantee that at some point I'll screw up, but my eyes will never see a woman that isn't you."

Each word, each syllable caught in her throat.

"The past can't come back unless we let it. It can't hurt us anymore," when had he become so insightful? Whatever, he was right, and she wasn't strong enough to deny it.

The memories and the pain had weighed her down for so long, she didn't know if she could let it all go. It was certainly safer to hold it close, there was less hurt with the hurt you know, but if she opened her arms and embraced what he was offering there could be so much more pain. More disappointments, more tears, but then there would be more laughter and more love and just a life. A life she wanted badly.

Could she do it? Let go of the past. Let go of Dom? Running from him earlier had been instinct, the easy answer, but not the right one. Running from Dom had not been right, not this time. In her heart, her gut, she knew it.

And it was enough.

"You gonna screw up again, huh?"

His eyes were wide as they looked towards her, he was so shocked at the question, she had to smile.

The playful tone of her voice had him wondering for sure if he needed to get his ears checked. The smile was unmistakable though and she hoped he felt a tiny spike of hope cut its way though his chest similar to hers.

"What?" her laugh was light, a clean and crisp sound so unlike the last one he had heard from her, choked on bitterness and pain.

Yes, her mood had changed and yes, she had made a life altering decision in a matter of moments, but he could probably try harder to keep up. Or she could try harder to clue him in.

"My answer is yes," there that had been clear and concise. She wanted to fight for him, with him, and then it was gone. The ache, the choke on her heart evaporated and she took a deep, full breath.

"Yes," he had turned towards her, was staring down at her, his face a mixture of confusion and confusion.

Stepping up to him, placing her hand softly against his chest, touching him was no less electric, "Yes, Dom, yes to us, to life, to everything."

A heartbeat, a breath, and then she was in the air, wrapped in his arms, she felt his shout as much as felt it.

"Letty."

She clung to him, the spin was awkward, he stumbled, but she didn't care, this was it. The beginning of them, their story was starting over right here, right now, and she was more in this moment than she had been in any other before in her life.

"I love you Letty-girl. Always and only you."

A romantic at heart, yeah, she could admit it now, the words, the tone, everything was perfect and the tears, yes she was crying, were falling unchecked onto his shoulder, "Love you Dom. Never stopped.

It wouldn't be easy, fuck, it would probably be the hardest thing she had ever done, but it would be worth it. He was kissing her now, lowering her to the deck as she returned his kiss, they would be worth it.


End file.
